No Matter What
by Blairx6661
Summary: Belle Mizanin is the newest addition to the RAW roster. Finally living her dream, she never envisioned having to choose between love and family... But when she falls for "the enemy", that's exactly what she has to do.
1. Congratulations

**[[A/N: HAI GUYZ! :D New fic here about the WWE, hope you enjoy it. I own nobody except Belinda "Belle" Mizanin and any other creations that may pop up. Hope you enjoy =D]]**

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Saturday the 14th of August, 2010. That was today's date, I had reminded myself upon waking this morning. Awake, fed and dressed by 9am, it was as if somebody had lit a firecracker underneath my toes - my meeting with Vince MacMahon wasn't until midday, and it wasn't far to travel either.

"Belinda?" I heard my brother call out to me from the hallway. "Are you alright?" he added, brotherly concern evident in his voice. I'd felt a little nauseous last night due to nerves, so his questioning was well within reason.

"Ummmm yeah, I'm fine" I replied hastily, not wanting him to come barging in just yet. I just wanted a quiet moment to myself in the hotel bedroom I'd travelled to yesterday. I'd envisioned a day like this so many times in my mind and I couldn't bring myself to leave just yet. This room just felt like a safe haven, and having no clue what would happen today scared me shitless.

"Well when you're ready, I'll be waiting downstairs" Mike called out, obviously sensing my nerves. I stood up from the edge of my bed, and took one last look in the mirror adjacent to the double bed I'd had all to myself. I fluffed out my wavy blonde hair, smiling at the ever-present lavender streak that stood out amongst it. After picking up my handbag, I took one last look at my watch. Ten o'clock, it read - that gave us two hours to get to our destination, for me to meet my fate. It was time.

I bolted downstairs on a sudden surge of adrenaline, and hugged my brother. "I'm ready" I whispered, and he smiled down at me as we walked out to my car. I climbed into the driver's seat and started the car as soon as we were both buckled in, Mike giving me directions as we went.

One and a half hours later, we were there. The Staples Center, Los Angeles, just one day before the annual Summerslam pay-per-view. I almost couldn't believe it. Sighing dreamily as I parked the car, I caught my handbag as Mike tossed it over, and he walked me inside. We made our way upstairs in total silence, as I tried desperately not to throw up the contents of my stomach. Finding a chair just outside Vince's office, we sat down together and waited for my name to be called.

After what felt like forever, I heard the all-too familiar voice of one Vincent Kennedy MacMahon call out "Belinda? You may come in now..." I stood up, brushing non-existent specks of dust off my dress as Mike patted me on the back encouragingly. "It's going to be just fine, I can feel it" he whispered, hugging me quickly before I walked into the office I had been called into. I knew Mike would be there no matter what, which did calm me somewhat.

I closed the door behind me, taking a seat in front of Mr MacMahon's desk. He cleared his throat quickly, and smiled; I then greeted him by saying "Good afternoon Mr MacMahon, thanks for calling me". He chuckled heartily and replied "My pleasure Miss Mizanin..."

I chuckled nervously at his use of my surname; it felt so formal, which was really making me nervous. I smiled slightly and hastily said "Oh goodness... No need to call me that! Please, just call me Belinda... Or Belle, your choice". Vince smiled understanding and nodded, replying "Alright then... Belle, I expect we'll be talking much more often now". I raised an eyebrow in confusion and asked "What do you mean by that?"

Vince looked straight into my eyes for a few seconds. A look of concern passed through his, as if he understood I was genuinely confused now. He settled back in his seat and asked "Belle, why do you think I called you in today?" I bit my lip nervously, my mind suddenly flooding once again with a million different possibilities. "I don't know, Sir..." I managed to say. Which was absolutely true. All I'd been told was that I had to have an urgent meeting with Vince, a message conveyed to me by an assistant of sorts.

Vince sighed softly and shook his head in amusement. He exhaled deeply and said "Well i'll tell you... I remember when you first started training in OVW, the head trainers said they were all very impressed with you. I know we cut some talent when we closed OVW and shifted everyone to FCW, but there's a reason we kept you. We don't have any other women quite like you on the developmental roster, Belinda... Every Diva has their own flair, and you are no exception. I know of a fair few people on the WWE roster who would love to compete with you, and due to your impressive talent I think it is high time that they got that chance".

I gasped suddenly, barely able to believe what I had just heard. Surely it could only mean one thing. My face displayed the widest of smiles as I whispered "You mean...?"

Vince replied "Yes, ma'am..." and pulled out a pen, and what appeared to be a contract, pushing them over to me. "It's time for you to make your debut as a WWE Diva. You'll be pleased to know that, like your brother, I am signing you to the RAW brand" he said with a wide smile, already knowing I would be pleased by this.

Almost jumping out of my chair in excitement, I fist-pumped the air and exclaimed "YEEEESSSSS!". After I eventually realised just how loud I had been, I sat back down and said "I mean, that's wonderful, Vince. I'm very grateful for your consideration". He chuckled heartily once again. He shook his head and said "It's no problem Belle".

I flipped through the many pages of the contract, often pausing to ask Vince a question about something. We spent about ten minutes discussing everything in regards to traveling, accommodation and whatever else I needed to know. It was a bit lengthy, but it was absolutely necessary because without knowing these things, I'd be totally screwed.

Once we had finished the discussion, Vince looked at me and said "Now that we've discussed everything, all that's left is for you to sign". I eagerly picked up the expensive-looking pen and signed my name in cursive on the dotted line. He stood up and extended his hand, which I took in mine, shaking firmly. In a booming voice, he proclaimed "Congratulations Belinda Mizanin, you are officially a WWE Diva. We have a show Monday night in this very city, you won't be having a match but you will be cutting a promo and your brother will be introducing you to the crowd". Smiling gleefully, I exclaimed "Wow that is perfect! I'm so excited..." as I stood up from my seat. He replied "That's just what I love to hear... We'll be in this arena for both the pay-per-view and the show the next day. As soon as you both arrive on Monday afternoon, you'll need to report to the GM's office and discuss the finer details of the night... Then you can go get ready for your appearance and go over your lines. Anything else you wish to know?"

Straightening out my shirt a little, I replied softly "No, i think it's all clear now, I'm staying and traveling with Mike, so I am totally covered". Vince nodded in understanding and said "I think that settles everything... You are free to go now, Miss Mizanin".

As I made my way to the door, I blurted out "Thankyou so much Mr MacMahon... Vince... You are not going to regret this!" Vince laughed merrily and said "I know... Run along now, Mike's probably waiting in the hall for you".

As soon as I shut the door behind myself once again, I closed my eyes for a few seconds as I silently thanked God for giving me such an amazing chance. Then I bounded over to Mike and threw my arms around him in a massive bear hug, squealing excitedly. He asked casually, "Sooooo, how'd it go?" I looked up and told him "I'm DEBUTING ON MONDAY NIGHT!"

Sounding just as surprised as I felt, Mike jumped for joy, shouting "Holy shit, are you for real? THATS AWESOME!", hugging me even tighter than he already was. I began raving excitedly. "Oh my god I cant believe it, this is amazing..." I breathed. Mike replied by saying "Come on, we're going out for lunch, to celebrate..."

I nodded in agreement and followed Mike all the way back down to the carpark, clutching my handbag tightly, feeling giddy with glee. Mike had one arm around my shoulders, holding me close in a brotherly fashion. We stayed like this until we reached my car; I decided to let him drive as the amount of excitement I felt was making me too jittery to successfully navigate a car through the streets again. He started the car, and we drove out instantly.

As we left the building, I had to pinch myself a few times just to make sure I was awake, and not in a fantasy i would soon be cruelly awaken from. But nothing changed, disappeared before my eyes, or screamed at me to stop dreaming This really was my life now, the life I had always dreamed of living. And I was going to enjoy every damn minute of it.

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**[[A/N: Hope you enjoyed this, second chapter will be up as soon as... I've written it xD Go vote in the poll on my page, it's to choose Belle's first entrance theme, the choice is up to you! Please read and review ;) xxx]]**


	2. His Fallen Victim

**[[A/N: HAI GUIZE! ;D I wasn't going to publish this so soon so consider it a treat! I was going to have this contain everything happening that night but it was too long so I cut it off at the end and I'm going to get working on Chapter 3 after I post this one. Hope you enjoy this second chapter of "No Matter What", entitled "His Fallen Victim".]]**

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*****BELLE's POV*****

Screeching angrily at my alarm clock, it took me a minute to bash in the "Stop" button with my closed fist. The clock read 9:30am, which was perfect. Mike and I were waking up in our hotel room in Los Angeles, California, the day after Summerslam. Last night I had been just another girl in the crowd, but tonight would be the night that I made my debut in front of the entire WWE Universe. I was nervous, but being able to do so alongside my big brother helped to calm me considerably.

"Mike? You awake yet?" I called out, sitting up in the double bed I'd occupied overnight, while my brother had graciously taken the couch. "Yeah, yeah, I am now" he shouted boisterously, much to my displeasure. "That's good, but I hardly see the need to be so loud" I whined, pulling myself out of bed, and walked to the bathroom with a pair of jeans and a purple tank top in hand. After I relieved myself and showered, I got changed clothes immediately and pulled my hair into a messy ponytail. As I exited the bathroom, Mike was already chowing down on a banana at the table.

"So what time do you need to be at the arena?" I asked softly, whilst joining him at the table. "Uuuummm... After I fit in a workout and lunch... I should be getting there around 3pm..." he answered, looking at me and nodding. "You'll be coming with me?"

I looked at him with a clueless expression, as I honestly hadn't known. "Why?" I asked curiously, making a mental note to remember this for the future. "Well I want to introduce you to everyone before the show... Since you're making an appearance, I figured it'd be best..." he explained. I smiled brightly at him, glad he hadn't acted like it was a stupid question, because I felt sure some people would.

"So what time are we leaving here?" I asked immediately, standing in the kitchen as I prepared a big bowl of Cheerios for myself. Once I carried it back to the table and sat down, Mike tossed his banana peel into the bin and looked at me thoughtfully. "The arena's about five minutes away, we'll leave at 2:50 so we get the best parking spot, eh?" he said in a businesslike manner. I looked at him with a sigh, wondering how on earth he'd gotten so organized, hoping that one day I would be able to match him.

After I finished my Cheerios and gulped down a large glass of orange juice, I washed everything up in the kitchen, whistling a happy tune to myself. Then I made myself busy by sorting through my clothes and picking a few different things to take to the arena with me. Settling down on my bed and sprawling out lazily, I flipped through the latest copy of Cosmopolitan magazine while Mike went to work on packing his bags with a strange mix of fury and agitation. I really didn't know why he was bothered so much; it wasn't like him at all to be nervous or overly angry.

About two and a half hours later, I felt my tummy rumbling. It was lunchtime now, and I wasn't quite sure what to eat. I leaped over to the fridge and started rummaging through the vegetable drawer for things to put on a sandwich. "Mike, do you want a sandwich?" I called out, to which he replied lazily "Nah, I'm gonna microwave some pasta". Concentrating on my sandwich, I scraped the entire inside of an avocado out and spread it thickly over my bread as I dumped chicken, lettuce and cheese on top.

After hungrily scarfing down my sandwich, I went and sat next to Mike, poking him playfully on the shoulder. "So what are we doing tonight? What are we doing? What are we doing? Huh?" I begged him childishly. He looked at me with a slight smirk and shook his head, only saying "Couldn't tell you that... All I can say is, it's gonna be... AWWWEEESOOMEEE!", grinning. I huffed, folded my arms across my chest, and began thinking excitedly about all the people I'd be meeting tonight. Melina, Randy Orton, Jerry 'The King' Lawler, Natalya, R-Truth, Daniel Bryan... It made my head spin. I was definitely the luckiest girl ever.

Almost three hours later, I checked my watch and then rushed to pick up my bags. "MIIIKEEEEE! We gotta go now!" I screamed loudly, rushing to the door impatiently. He grinned wordlessly and unlocked the door, and I ran to the rental car, dumping my bags in the backseat as he opened the doors. Within two minutes, we were on the road. As soon as we reached the arena, I pulled out my bags and shoved Mike, racing him inside and up the escalator to the floor where the locker rooms were. The first person I spotted was Maryse, much to my delight. "Maryse!" I giggled, running over to hug her, Mike following. "How are you?" she inquired in her thick French accent. "I'm fine babe, what about you Belle?" Mike replied. I just gave her a thumbs up and said "_Très excitée!_". She smiled, taking Mike's hand as she led us down a long corridor and pointed to the Divas locker-room, which was empty.

I dumped my bags inside and said "Where is everyone?" Maryse replied breezily "Oh, they're around... Either rehearsing lines, practicing, or eating their lunch, _ma soeur_... come, we will introduce you!" she said urgently, dragging us along and only stopping to let Mike put his bags in his locker room.

The first group of people we spotted were John Cena, Randy Orton, Sheamus and Ted DiBiase. They were all very friendly towards me, Sheamus even complimenting me on the lavender streak in my hair. "It's lovely to meet you" I chirped, waving to them as we kept wandering. Then we bumped into R-Truth, Evan Bourne, Mark Henry and Eve Torres. I had met Eve a few times before and in those spaces of time, we'd become quite good friends. "Belle!" she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug, much to the amusement of the men she was with. She then let go and said to them "Truth, Evan, Mark, this is my friend Belle Mizanin, she's the newest Diva" brightly. They all shook my hand in turn and smiled welcomingly. *So far, so good* I thought.

About an hour later, I had met practically everybody I could think of, apart from the Divas. Besides Eve and Maryse, the person most excited to see me was Santino Marella - another wrestler I'd become friendly with. "Helloooooo!" he'd crowed, waving happily, then asked "Belle, you wrestle tonight?" to which I'd replied "No, Santino", causing him to pout in mock sadness. After a brief conversation, he and Mike bid their farewells as Mike went to his own room, and Maryse and I to ours.

"Girls?" she chirped upon entering the room. "This is Mike's sister Belinda, she will be appearing in tonight's show" she said warmly, making me feel even more welcome than I already did. All the Divas smiled warmly as they introduced themselves. I dragged my bags over to an unoccupied chair and began changing into tonight's outfit; a black tank top, skinny jeans, and purple leather boots with stiletto heels. With Maryse and Eve in tow, we waltzed into Makeup after chatting for a long while. My fringe was pinned up in parts, while the rest of my wavy blonde hair hanging down. Upon admiring my reflection in the mirror, I decided I was very pleased with what I saw.

When it reached six o'clock, I wanted to squeal with excitement: it was one hour until 'kickoff', so to speak. I raced to Mike's locker room as we briefly discussed what was to happen. I didn't know his opponent - it would be more of a surprise, he'd said - but I knew what I would be doing, which I was a relief.

The show was well underway now. I was perched on top of a table in the 'gorilla position', knowing I would have to walk down the ramp any second. I looked up at the TV; my brother was already in the ring, standing over another man's body, whom he'd distracted so Michael Tarver would be victorious. I winced as he dragged the man up into a vertical position and slammed him back down just as quickly with a perfect Skull Crushing Finale, Tarver and Mike's rookie Alex Riley watching on. He then snatched a microphone from Justin Roberts and smirked. "Daniel, Daniel, Daniel..." he drawled, pausing to glare at his fallen victim.

"What is the matter with you? Diving out of the ring, trying to attack me? You're obviously not very bright, are you? You're never going to get anywhere near this briefcase unless I'm slamming your head into it. You're never going to get near my US Title, because... Let's face it, you're just not championship material. Hell, you won't ever get anywhere near to pinning me because you're just some dweeb, some pathetic little nerd, who could never be as great as I am...". He paused for a moment, and my heart practically leaped up into my throat. It was time.

"And while I'm on such a roll..." he added, Alex clapping him on encouragingly and nodding while glaring down at Daniel Bryan on the mat. "I want to show you something else - or someone, I should say - that you won't ever be getting near...". He pointed towards the ramp as his own entrance theme began to play.

I jumped up and walked quietly through the curtain, standing at the top of my ramp. Pointing at the roof with both hands briefly, I walked down the ramp, smirking at the crowd like Mike had told me to before. As I approached the ring, Mike and Alex held the ropes open for me as I climbed in. I hugged my brother, and then stepped back, standing next to Alex.

"Daniel, there's someone I'd like you to meet... This is my sister, Belle Mizanin" he crowed into the microphone. I smiled at the mention of my name, nodding proudly with my arms folded across my chest as the crowd was silent. "And you know what?" he added, as Daniel looked up at him, wincing in pain as he held the back of his head. "I'll tell you... You ever speak to my sister, look at my sister, touch my sister... I'll beat you down worse than before" he growled with such menace in his voice that I almost believed he would do so backstage.

"Got it?" he hissed, kicking him in the head for one last time as he, Alex and I left the ring. As we reached the top of the ramp, I took the microphone from my brother and drawled flirtatiously "See you later, Mr Bryan... Or not", blowing him a kiss. As we disappeared behind the curtain, out of the crowd's view, I fought back the urge to jump for joy. Not because of what we'd done to Daniel - I felt guilty about that, to be honest - but I'd just spoken to the crowd as a WWE Diva for the very first time. I just hoped the fans would warm to me in time, regardless of Mike's current heel status. I knew it wouldn't happen overnight, but I was okay with that - just having the entire audience's eyes on me had been wonderful enough.

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**[[A/N: There ya have it folks :D Hope you enjoyed this, and please remember to go find the appropriate French - English translations at my Weebly page ****[link on my author's page] ****:D** And please go vote in the poll on my profile, I need results soon so I'm not delayed in writing for you lovely people :D Toodles! xxx]]


	3. The Element Of Surprise

**[[A/N: HAIII GUIZE :D One update for each story in a night, I'm pleased! Worked really hard on this one, hope you love it like I do... DB fans, don't be insulted... This was painful to write, I absolutely adore Daniel! This is going to be amazing, I promise you :D]]**

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*****CHAP 3 - Belle's POV*****

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"Go Belinda!" Mike and Alex cheered simultaneously as they lifted me up on the shoulders. They carried me like this for a few seconds until we ran into Josh Matthews, just in time for Mike's interview segment. My brother and Alex set me down carefully as Josh stepped backwards to create the space needed. Mike passed me his United States Championship belt while Alex held up the Money In The Bank briefcase, and then Josh started talking.

"... And my guest at this time, The Miz!" he explained. Alex nodded, while Mike smirked widely, whereas I rolled my eyes at Josh and said "Well, duuuuuh!" Josh looked apologetic, and then said "So Miz, would you care to explain your actions just now?" he asked, holding up the microphone in front of his face.

"I think you and the audience already know why i just did that... I don't like Daniel Bryan, plain and simple" Mike answered, glaring directly at Josh, who flashed him a curious look.

"Would you care to explain why?" Josh asked, maintaining his curious expression as Alex shook his head dismissively. I knew vaguely what might come next - my script had told me Mike was going to be interviewed and that he was to trash talk while explaining what he'd just done. I tapped my nails against the belt I was holding until he spoke.

"Josh, Josh, Josh... Do you have any idea how dumb that question was? Do I even need to explain why I dislike... no, hate Daniel Bryan? Everybody here already knows he's a nerd, a dweeb... He's just the world's biggest loser who didn't even have the good sense to listen to me back in NXT. He was lucky to have me as his pro! But did he acknowledge that? No, he didn't!" Mike ranted, pausing to take a deep breath before he continued his anti-Daniel spiel.

"What I don't understand is why everybody began saying he should be MY pro... What kind of statement is that? I've got more talent in my damn pinky finger than he's got in his scrawny body!" he continued, shaking his head angrily as Josh just looked at him, knowing Mike was far from finished.

"And how about this? I was unfairly overlooked at Summerslam, only for him to receive a spot over me! ME! How does that make sense?" he asked loudly, then went on to answer his own question once it became apparent that Josh wasn't going to do so. "Exactly, Josh, it makes NO sense at all! I'm the US Champion and Mr Money In The Bank" - he pointed to the title on my shoulder, and the briefcase Alex was holding - "and who is he? Who is Daniel Bryan apart from a stupid, useless nobody that will be forgotten in ten years? He is nothing compared to me, you hear that? NOTHING!". He nodded at Alex and I, which I knew was our signal to walk away from the camera. I did just that, but not before blowing another kiss in full view of the camera.

As soon as we were out of view, Alex high-fived Mike and I. "Dude, that was freakin' awesome!" he shouted encouragingly. I giggled and said "Damn that was convincing... For a minute I thought you were gonna punch a hole through Josh's face!"

Mike just grinned at me and said "Watch me and learn kid, watch me and learn", ruffling my hair. I ducked cleverly as soon as I saw Alex's hand reaching out to do the same. "Boy, you did not just try to ruffle my hair!" I squealed childishly, holding onto the belt. Mike looked over at us and laughed, as he said "That was funny how you blew another kiss at the end of the interview, was that in your script?" I shook my head and replied "Nah, just thought of it". He looked at me in amusement and said "Improvisation? I like it...".

Pleased to hear words of praise from my brother, I grinned happily and said no more for the time being. I didn't know what I'd be doing next week but I was already anxious to make my brother, my parents, my friends and the whole WWE Universe proud of me. Not because I felt pressured to meet expectations, but I just wanted to be liked by the people watching. I didn't yet know whether I'd end up being a face or a heel - I assumed I would find out more next week.

Mike and Alex were still talking between themselves, as I handed the US Championship back to my brother. "You can keep holding it if you want..." he suggested, knowing I'd gotten a major kick out of it. "No you take it, I want to go hang out with the girls for a while before their match, discuss how our promo went, and so on..." I replied, glancing over my shoulder in the direction of the Divas' locker room. "Well alright then, see you at the end of the night" Mike said, as he Alex high-fived me with one hand each.

"See ya!" I called out over my shoulder as I walked away from them, reaching the Divas' room in less than a minute. "Hey!" Eve called out as I entered the room, sitting down on one of the lounges. "I watched the promo you just did with Mike and Alex, you did really well!" she exclaimed encouragingly, patting me on the back as a sign of support. "Aww thankyou" I replied, smiling widely, barely able to contain my excitement. "I know I didn't have much to say, but just walking out to the ring, and doing my first promo... It was amazing, just amazing..."

"I remember the feeling" Eve mused happily, staring off into space. I looked around the room, making a mental list of who was missing. After a few moments of concentrated thought, I turned to Eve and asked "Ummm, where's Maryse?" She looked around and then replied "She's probably hanging out with Mike before the six Diva tag match..." I nodded and said "Awesome".

Eve gave me a look of pure confusion but nodded anyway in understanding. "Can I ask you a big favour?" I whispered tentatively; while I trusted her enough to tell me what I needed to know, I was nervous nonetheless. "Yeah, what is it?" she replied instantly, smiling. "I need you to show me to Daniel Bryan's locker room... I want to speak to him, it seems my dear brother forgot to introduce us before our segment..." i sighed in annoyance. I almost wanted to apologize for my brother's rudeness in that moment of forgetfulness, plus the added shock of myself being part of their in-ring segment.

"Oh, okay..." she breathed, jumping up immediately and linking arms with me. We stepped out into the hallway and rounded a corner, leading us down a new corridor. After we passed five identical black doors, Eve stopped at the sixth. The sign on the front said the room belonged to Daniel, Santino Marella, and Vladimir Kozlov. I took a deep breath as Eve hugged me and walked away. Knocking on the door, I heard nothing but one set of footsteps shuffling over to the door.

"Uhh... Belinda? Forgive my manners, but what are you doing here?" a surprised-looking Daniel said, rubbing his eyes as if there was something stuck in them. Peeking over his shoulder, I was pleased to notice he was currently alone. "Please, Daniel, call me Belle... After all, that is how Mike introduced me" I chuckled, rolling my eyes at the very thought. "I just came to apologize for the element of surprise in our segment... I was meant to have met you beforehand, but introducing me to you must have slipped Mike's mind" I explained, smiling sadly at him.

Daniel nodded and said "I'm sorry I didn't seek you out myself... I knew there would be a Diva involved, but I had no idea who... Sorry if I seemed confused". I smiled kindly and said "No, he should be sorry...", giggling a little as Daniel smiled incredulously. I smoothed out my top and held out my hand, saying "Anyway, it's nice to *formally* meet you, I'm Belinda Mizanin... But I'd like it a lot if you called me Belle".

He took my hand in his and, instead of shaking it like I'd expected, he brought it up to his lips and kissed it gently. I was so surprised that I blushed immediately, and looked down so I could avoid the embarrassment of being caught red-faced. He misunderstood this and dropped my hand immediately, looking just as embarrassed as I felt. "Sorry..." he muttered quietly, stepping back into his room. "No, no, you misunderstood... I was just surprised, that's all" I reassured him, taking his hand in mine once again to prove it.

His face lit up immediately and said "Oh, okay... That's good to know", smiling shyly as he held onto my hand. I mirrored his smile. "Honest, I promise" I whispered softly, blinking a little in disbelief at what was going on. I was standing in the doorway of Daniel Bryan's locker room, and we were holding hands. I could see my brother's face come to mind, glaring in mock disapproval. If only he could see this...

After a minute of comfortable silence, I regretfully withdrew my hand. Smiling directly at him, I smirked slightly and said "See you later, Mr Bryan...", beginning to move away from the door. He caught my hand and kissed it again, presumably as a gentlemanly parting gesture. "Now that would be nice..." I heard him murmur to himself, waving as I walked away. I resisted the urge to return to him, instead walking away before I let anything else happen.

I couldn't tell whether holding on had been the right thing to do or not. My friends wouldn't care what I did as long as I was okay with it - I knew that by now. I refused to think my brother could truly hate anybody as much as he said he hated Daniel for the cameras - that amount of heat seemed insane to me. Still, something felt strange to me about what I'd just been doing. One thing was for sure - regardless of where this moment might lead me, I would need to trust my instincts every step of the way.

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**[[A/N: I really like the ending of this chapter, what do you think? =D Also, there are only a few days left to vote in the poll on my page so please gogogogo! It's for this story and I want all readers to have a say in Belle's first entrance them as her first match will be in the next chapter! Toodaloo kiddies :D]]**


	4. Strength, Speed, Energy

**[[A/N: Sorry in advance if you don't like this chapter, i know its a major filler but i HAD to split it up, otherwise it was gonna be like 3000 words or close to xD Next chappy coming in the next few days, I'm already working on it (L) enjoy!]]**

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****BELLE'S POV****

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_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_ It was nine o'clock, and despite how much I hated my alarm clock, I was pleased. I'd never wanted to be the girl who solely relied on an alarm clock, and i'd never really needed to before. But I figured that while I was still getting used to a greater deal of flying and driving, it was better off to use one.

"Mike?" I called out. After a few days of separation, my brother and I were rooming together again before our show. After last week's RAW taping, I'd flown home to my apartment in Florida, whilst Mike had to attend an autograph signing and a few photoshoots, meaning he'd come home two days later than I had. Then we'd had to fly out to Los Angeles yet again.

For some strange reason, I couldn't stop thinking about the short conversation I'd had with Daniel last week after my short appearance. The conversation had felt simple enough, but if it were really so simple, why was it glued to the inside of my brain? I had no clue. I decided to pull out my phone and text Eve. As much as I adored Maryse and was close with her, I felt strange even thinking of telling her everything - though I couldn't quite figure out why. So it had to be Eve.

"_**Hey Eve, Need to talk 2 u ASAP. Make sure U R Divas locker room at 3:30pm, Cant Wait! xx Belle**_" I slowly typed into my iPhone before hitting the "Send" button. I sat cross-legged on the end of my bed now, holding my phone in my hands, which were almost numb from my nervousness. I almost screamed out in shock when Mike came up and tapped my shoulder.

"Belle? Who you texting?" he asked boisterously. I knew he wasn't trying to be an asshole but I snapped anyway, hissing at him unintelligibly. He held up both hands in the air and backed away, one eyebrow raised. "Relax sis, this ain't some FBI shit" he joked, shaking his head.

"Oh... i was texting Eve..." I replied lamely, tossing my phone haphazardly into my purse. I looked up at him, studying his face curiously. It was obvious he believed me, but he also looked a little wary, as if he were worried about me. I didn't even know why I was being so paranoid. It wasn't as if Daniel were really his mortal enemy - I still found it hard to believe anybody could truly hate another human being so much. "_He's just really good at acting"_, I thought, sighing softly.

"So what's our schedule for today?" I asked, out of a desire to change the subject before I had a heart attack. He dragged me over to the table and pushed me into the only other chair, then said "First, you're gonna eat breakfast... Then we're going to the gym to train for your match tonight, and after that we're having lunch an heading to the arena. Sound good?", pushing a bowl of cereal over to me. I lunged for the spoon and started shoveling my breakfast into my mouth, only pausing to nod at Mike in response.

After I'd changed into my workout gear a while later, I sat down on the couch, trying not to get too nervous about tonight. Not only would i be having my debut match, but my opponent was none other than Gail Kim. The mere thought of it sent awful shivers down my spine; I was so nervous, and yet so eager. I knew how talented she was in the ring and when I went out to face her I knew I had to be my absolute best if I wanted to make a good impression on the crowd.

I was silent the whole time as Mike drove us to the gym we'd be practicing in. As soon as we reached a room with a wrestling ring set up inside it, I dropped my backpack inside and with a running start, slid into the ring effortlessly. I then jumped up onto the ropes, pointing up at the sky with both hands without so much as wobbling gently. Backflipping off the ropes and landing into a perfect split, i was more than excited.

Mike and I spent about two hours practicing the moves I'd decided to use as my signature moves: bridging spears, swinging neckbreakers, sitout facebusters, enzuigiri kicks and so on. He also used a few of his own moves on me in return. As we went over the Skull-Crushing Finale for the billionth time, I knew even now that I was ready. I had the strength, I had the speed, and I had the energy. Whatever Gail decided to throw at me tonight, I could take it and then some. And I would definitely dish it out in return.

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It was edging on 3:30pm when Mike and I reached the arena. Everybody else was either already there or arriving, so the walk to our respective locker rooms wasn't completely quiet. Mike was a bit edgy and asked every single person we passed where Maryse was, a question nobody seemed able to answer. "Dude, calm down... I'll probably see her soon, I'll tell her you wanted to see her..." I offered, trying not to laugh. It was almost like he was nervous, which seemed like an odd possibility; the two of them adored each other equally and were more than committed.

Eventually we found her, much to my relief. Catching up with Eve could not come fast enough. I made my way to the Divas locker room alone, and as soon as I knocked on the door, Eve opened it and dragged me in. The only other Divas inside so far were Melina, Jillian and Gail, all of whom waved at me; Gail even gave me a thumbs up.

"So what's the big deal Miss Miz?" Eve asked kindly, referring to the text message I'd sent earlier today. After making sure the others weren't listening, I filled her in on what had happened after the promo Mike, Alex and I had done last week. At the end of my little spiel, Eve was giggling girlishly, much like I had done when attempting sleep that night. "Oh my gosh, he so likes you!" she crooned, sending me into a fit of giggles as I shook my head, blushing madly.

"He doesn't like me as any more than a friend, if that's what you mean" I whispered, resisting the urge to frown. The idea that Daniel Bryan had any sort of non-platonic feelings for me felt rather strange, like something I didn't believe. "He was just being a gentleman, Eve, I'm sure he's not the only one he's done that to" I added, looking down. I had a feeling I was right; how could I be the standout girl when he barely knew me?

"No, Belle, he hasn't... As far as I know all he's done is shake hands, and he won't even go near Maryse" Eve whispered softly, leaving me with an awfully big smile. He hadn't gone so far as to kiss anyone else's hand, it had only been me. Of course I still refused to think he had feelings for me, but it made me smile nonetheless.

After Eve and I had discussed Daniel to death, we all stayed in the locker room, passing around snacks, reading fashion magazines, and picking outfits. Maryse walked in eventually and Eve was trying not to giggle, obviously recalling what she'd said before. I stayed in the room without leaving even once, as the scripts were delivered to our door. I flipped through mine eagerly to see what I was doing: cutting another promo with Mike, accompanying him to his match with John Cena, and then my match was straight after the ad break. Tonight was going to be one hell of a night, that was for sure.

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**[[A/N: There ya have it folks, my latest update :D Like I said, next chappy coming soon cause it's basically what was gonna be the second half of this one xD TOODLES xoxo]]**


	5. Tears Of Joy

**[[A/N: Hai kidz, sorry if I've taken too long to update or am getting slower with either of my stories, It's not on purpose i swear . Thanks to KatieKazaMizAwesome and AspiringMythbuster for reviewing the last chapter, and to anyone who may have read :D]]**

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**BELLE'S POV**

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"Belle, Belle, look!" Eve and Maryse started shouting loudly. For the last half hour I'd been thinking about what to say to Daniel this week, because I knew what was going to happen. Of course he knew as well, but I just felt awful that my brother had to keep beating him up so badly. The only thought able to console me was that it was all scripted, the night would end, and hate would exist no longer

"Huh? What?" I blurted out wildly, almost having a heart attack on account of Eve and Maryse's loud attempts to get my attention. "I'm right here, girls!" I replied irritably, shaking my head as I tried to figure out what they so badly wanted me to look at.

"Sure looked like it!" Maryse commented sarcastically, to which I mimicked her signature handblock. She just laughed and said "Look at the TV", which I did. It was a recap of last week's RAW, when Michael Tarver had defeated Daniel, followed by Mike giving him a Skull-Crushing Finale on top of his briefcase. I winced involuntarily, remembering the awful sound I'd heard it make. I watched the TV as it showed me walking out to the ring and Mike talking down to Daniel, then the interview following. I had to admit, I'd played my part well. I'd walked out and stood with Mike and Alex, like I either hadn't seen or didn't care about what they'd done to Daniel. But the truth was, I did...

Next up was John Cena being interviewed, talking about what Mike had done last week. I was pleased to hear he wasn't including me amongst sentences full of words like "petty" and "classless"; all I heard of myself was Cena saying "Daniel's not an idiot, I mean we're not close or anything but he's not stupid like Miz seems to think... Daniel would never go after Miz's sister, we all know what would happen if he did". I saw Eve shoot me a look of sympathy, which confused me. *Doesn't she know their hate isn't real?* I thought to myself.

A techie came and knocked on the door, saying "Melina, Jillian, you're on now... Belinda, you need to be outside Mike's room in five". We all nodded in unison as Melina and Jillian stood up, whispering to each other. I waved, as did Eve, and then I went to dress in my outfit. It was a simple black crop top with pink stripes, accompanied by ankle-length black tights with laces running up both sides. I then pulled on a pair of pink boots, lacing them up tightly as Gail and I talked quickly about our match.

I then went out and joined Mike and Alex for their interview. Josh Matthews was asking Mike why he'd nailed him in the back of the head at Summerslam. Mike then went on to discuss Cena's choosing Daniel over him for the team, proceeding to run through a list of reason why "that was a horrible idea". "By choosing that little dweeb, Cena put Team WWE at risk and for some strange reason, he doesn't care! What an idiot!" Mike ranted. I smirked a little, glad I'd been allowed to do this, and replied "Uhhh... Don't know if you noticed bro, but Team WWE won... I think you should just calm down". He gave me a well-rehearsed glare and said "Belle, cut it out will you?". I just shrugged, fluffed my hair and listened to him going on about he could have done to Sheamus, and what he was going to do to Cena in the ring. As soon as we were done, I tried not to get too excited. I could only do that once the night ended.

Roughly twenty minutes later, I was in Mike's locker room alone when somebody knocked on the door. "Belinda, now" I heard the same techie from before say, so I rushed past Mike's room and then made my way to the ramp. Without music or any other fanfare, I ran down to the ring and pulled Mike away from Daniel, who'd been kicking and punching the living daylights out of him. I swore I could see Daniel looking at me, so I dashed back to Alex's side, watching on as Daniel rolled Mike back into the ring. Cena picked up my brother's beaten body and set him up for the Attitude Adjustment. Alex and I jumped up onto the apron and shouted for him to stop, but Mike was sent hurling downwards onto the mat.

Daniel then slid into the ring. I held my breath, finding myself wishing he hadn't, but it had to go as planned. He trapped my brother and put on the LeBell Lock. I covered my mouth with my hand while Alex tugged impatiently on the ropes. My brother started tapping on the mat relentlessly, yelling at Daniel to "let go! Let go!". As soon as Daniel had had enough, I climbed in and pushed him away while Alex helped Mike up and we both dragged him backstage.

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"Now making her way to the ring, from Cleveland, Ohio, she is the newest WWE Diva... Belle Mizanin!" Justin Roberts announced. Just like I'd practiced so many times, I walked through the curtain and pointed at the roof with both hands. Skipping down the ramp at a leisurely, even pace, I bounced from side to side, in keeping with the rhythm of my entrance theme. It was an edited version of "Like A G6" by Far East Movement, with some parts of the verses cut out - I'd wanted something upbeat and fun, and it worked for both parties so we just went with it.

By now I was at the end of the ramp. I stopped bouncing around and walked up to the turnbuckle, and slowly climbed up the steel steps. After inhaling deeply, I swung one leg over the second rope and then climbed in, jumping up to the top rope. Blowing a big kiss to the crowd and pointing excitedly, I was beyond thrilled to see a few smiling faces, both male and female. Then I did a backflip off the top rope, and landed in a perfect split. "King, did you see that?" Cole could be heard blurting excitedly. "She's beautiful and talented!" he added, as I tried not to laugh.

As I stood up and mimed punching the air a few times, jumping from side to side, King replied "I sure did, Cole, I can't wait for this match to start!". I grinned happily, and then the bell rung. Gail and I circled around the ring for a moment, hands at the ready, and then we both locked up, each of us battling against the other for control. She battled against me, trying to steer me into the turnbuckle, but I broke our hold and slammed her face-first into the mat.

Gail laid there groaning for a few seconds, then got to her feet and tackled me to the ground. My head bumped against the ring canvas, and I yelped in pain. She then dragged me to my feet with one hand and sent me down again with a simple, yet effective clothesline. "Dammit!" I cried, trying to scramble to my feet; then Gail called something out. I reached out with one foot and tripped her over, then hooked her leg up. "One... Two..." the referee counted, as Gail kicked out before he could count three.

I punched the mat in anger with both fists tightly curled. Then I got to my feet and kicked Gail in the side of the stomach, which would buy me a few extra seconds to decide my next move. With a sly smile on my face, I skipped to the corner closest to Gail and climbed up to the top, looking out at the crowd below with both arms out.

"Hey Cole, what do you think she's gonna do next?" King shouted excitedly, turning to look at Cole. Cole eyed him thoughtfully and replied "I don't know King, but whatever it is, it will be... AWESOME!". I laughed at the use of my brother's catchphrase, then turned around just as Gail was standing up. I spread my arms out like wings, and then leapt off the ropes, performing a flawless dropkick that hit my opponent right below the chest and sent her rolling over, eventually landing on her stomach.

"Yeah!" I shouted excitedly, jumping in the air and landing in a split position. I remembered that when I'd first mastered the splits at the age of sixteen, I'd wanted to show it off as soon as I started wrestling - it was something I was immensely proud of. All of a sudden, I felt a horrendous strain on my hair. Gail pulled me up, and I almost felt as if I were going to go bald. She lifted me up and tossed me into the corner like I was nothing but a ragdoll. I flashed her a convincing glare and clutched my stomach as I tried to sit up with my back adjacent to the ringpost behind me. She ran up and dropkicked me in the face, making my head bash into the ringpost before I'd had much of a chance to move.

Clumsily, I flung my arm out and reached for the ropes, using them to slowly pull myself up into a standing position. She charged towards me and I barely rolled out of the way in time, watching with a grimace as her head zoomed into the ringpost. I shakily let go of the ropes and did a miniature star-jump and kneed her in the gut, then tried to end the match prematurely with a roll-up pin. She kicked out at two and I screeched "This isn't over yet, Gail!", as the cameraman behind us heard every word.

Just like she'd done, I pulled Gail up by her hair and tossed her to the mat, wincing as she collided with the ringpost. I ran up and, with both hands on the ropes, stomped into her gut a few times with my right foot, until the referee grabbed me by the shoulders. He pulled me away from Gail and quoted the rules to me. With a smirk on my face, I held up my hand and shouted "I have until five!", taking a leaf out of Daniel's book. He just shook his head and repeated what he'd said, while I leaned in closer and hissed at him, looking as angry as I could.

My head bounced off the mat as Gail must have dashed up behind me, and rolled me up as the referee counted "One... Two...", before I kicked out just as planned. Then I jumped up and grabbed her hair, launching my foot forward into her stomach yet again. Then I wrapped one arm around her neck while my other fist-pumped the air. "Yeah!" I cried, then swung my raised arm underneath our bodies and brought us down to the mat in a powerful swinging neckbreaker. Then I let go of her and hovered over her body, hooking the leg and waiting with bated breath as the referee counted "One... Two... Three!", and the bell rang.

"Here is your winner, Belle Mizanin!" Justin announced, as the referee raised my hand. I jumped for joy and climbed the ropes, blowing a kiss out to the crowd as I heard Cole exclaim "See that, King?", who replied "Course I did, that was awesome!" Cole grinned widely and retorted "Well duh, King... She's a Mizanin, awesomeness is in her blood!". I then jumped off the ropes as Mike and Alex were walking to the ring; something I hadn't known about. I smiled as Gail stood up and i reached out to shake her hand politely as the boys held the ropes open for me.

I climbed through the ropes and then squealed happily as they lifted me up onto their shoulders, carrying me back to the curtain. I felt tears of joy brimming up in my eyes as we headed backstage; this had been the most amazing night of my life to date and I knew it couldn't get much better than this.

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**[[A/N: Sorry if the length was a bit much and that I had to split it up again, but i think it was the better idea, if I'd put this and the next chapter into one it would have been too much to read. Hope you liked it, and if you read this, PLEASE REVIEW :D xoxo]]**


	6. This One's For You

**[[A/N: Sorry for the wait... Personal problems, nasty nosebleed from yesterday, and my dad taking a lot of my time away from me. Thanks to those who both read AND reviewed... I can always use more :p And please remember, 'il mio amico' means 'my friend' in italian ^_^]]**

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**| Belle's POV |**

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The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache, which was a complete mystery. Sure, my fellow WWE Divas had insisted on taking me out for a late dinner, and we'd all had a few drinks, but I wasn't hungover. Not even slightly. I decided to chalk it up to the amount of giggling and general chatter that had taken place, then rolled over as I reached out for my phone.

As I sat up, I called out for my brother. "Mike? You awake yet?". Then I dragged my exhausted body out of bed and pulled on my pink silk dressing gown, looking out the window. I heard his voice replying "Been awake since nine, kid!". Upon hearing that, I shot out of my bedroom like a bullet from a gun, and raced to the table.

"Then what time is it now?" I asked, really starting to freak out. How late had I slept in for? The thought of sleeping late didn't appeal to me in the slightest. I was about to go shake him by the shoulders to get an answer out of him, when he saw me coming and checked his watch, informing me that it was 10:30am. Which wasn't too bad, but it annoyed me nonetheless.

Stomping back over to my suitcase, I got changed into a long red strapless dress, pulled on a pair of black flats, then stuffed my sneakers, black tights, and matching tank top into a bag. I was going to work out later, having a few other things I wanted to do first. Like eat breakfast - that was at the top of my list. I grabbed two chocolate Poptarts, dropping them in the toaster and munching on a banana while I waited.

About half an hour, I heard a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" Mike shouted, running over to the door. I was content flipping through my magazine so I didn't bother trying to stop him. Within seconds, he was shouting again. "Belindaaaaaaa! It's Eve, she says she needs to talk to you!" he yelled, banana stuck between her pearly white teeth. "Ugh..." I groaned, muttering in disgust towards him as I stood up, playfully shoving him out of the way.

"Hey, chica, what's up?" Eve asked happily as I stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind me. Judging by the conversations we'd had so far, I could tell this was one Mike wasn't supposed to hear. "Just ate breakfast, I was reading until you showed up" I said, shrugging casually. Of course, she had to have a hidden motive in asking that, as I was about to find out.

"Did you speak to Daniel after the match?" she asked quietly, leaning against the wall like I was. "N-no, I didn't... I just hung out with Alex and Mike until we all went out for dinner, I would have liked to, but I didn't see him" I said, more bothered by that than I cared to admit.

"Maybe you'll talk to him today... I can't imagine why he wouldn't wanna come talk to you... You were amazing in that match last night, even Gail said so when she came backstage... And you copied something he did in the indies, bet he loved that" she squealed, holding up one hand like I'd done in my match. She didn't even need to ask me why I'd done that; I had a feeling that right then and there, the truth was written on my face. I'd done it just for him, hoping he would notice.

"I hope he did, I think I'd like that... I can't believe Mike didn't even ask me about it, but we were all too excited, and then he left with Maryse" I said with a shrug. It was probably a good thing, because Mike knew so much about what went on in the world of wrestling that it couldn't have escaped him for long had he decided to question me about it.

Eve and I chatted for ten minutes longer, until she had to leave to finish her pre-lunch packing. "I'll see you soon babes... Maybe Daniel will too" she said brightly, to which I just nodded and smiled as I waved goodbye. As soon as I walked back inside the room, Mike looked at me with a smile. "What did Eve want?" he asked curiously, tossing another banana peel into the rubbish bin. _What is it with Mike and his bananas?_ I wondered to myself, shaking my head as I laughed, realising I would probably never know. No more words were said to me, so I went back to my magazine.

"BELLEEEEEEE! You've got another visitor!" Mike shouted. I could barely hear him over the television's volume at first, but as he walked back in my direction, it became much easier. "Someone else wants to speak to you" he said in a tone that wasn't quite pissed off, but more disbelieving, or surprised that in less than an hour, more than one person felt an urgent need to speak with me. I was somewhat disbelieving as well, but the TV program I was eyeing didn't hold much interest for me, so I had no qualms about turning my back on it. "Santino!" I said happily, accepting a warm, friendly hug as he offered one. Mike smiled and then closed the door.

"You did good in your match last night, huh?" he asked excitedly, speaking with his olive-skinned hands just as much as his mouth. "Yeah, I guess I did, Eve just said the same thing" I said, as modest as ever, jokingly taking a bow before returning to normal posture - it was painful for me, and I had no wish for him to think I was cocky.

"You guess? Noooooo!" he said, exaggerating the tone of shock I could sense in his accented voice. "You know you were... Oleg think so, I think so, Sarona think so, silly Michael think so... And Daniel, he thinks so too!" he said happily, looking a little flushed after he finished speaking. I shook my head in amusement, looking down at the blue surface of the balcony we stood on. "How do you know that, Santino?" I asked, suddenly feeling very exhausted.

"Because, _il mio amico_, he spoke to me after he come backstage last night... Now what did he say? Ahh, yes, he said..." he started, pausing before about to quote whatever it was he thought Daniel had said to him. "He say... 'Did you see what she did to the, the referee? I used to do that! Wow, that was so cool!' ... Then I ask him what he think of your match and he says to me... 'She is very talented, Santino, she wrestles very well and I liked watching her... I'd like to have a mixed tag match with her some day'... What you think, huh? You believe me?"

I sighed deeply once Santino had finished talking, more than slightly amused. Why should I believe that Daniel had approached Santino to discuss my performance, when he could have easily come to me? I hadn't been difficult to find last night, not by a long shot. There was no reason he couldn't have come found me in Mike's locker room. I wasn't being cocky or anything by thinking this - no, definitely not - but I just didn't see why he disliked speaking to me around my brother. I hadn't been here for long, but I'd definitely picked up on _that_.

Santino was giving me an eager smile which I couldn't handle any longer. "Okay, Santino, I believe you" I said with an exhausted sigh, hoping he'd give up talking about Daniel... Yeah, as if. He took both my hands, shaking my arms excitedly as he spoke again, his voice getting louder with every impassioned word. "Oh Belle, he thinks you're so pretty, and funny, he really like the purple in your hair, and he want your babies!" he rambled. I raised a hand to his mouth, silencing him quickly.

"Santino, please, you're being silly! Please stop it!" I replied, a pained expression on my face. That was beyond untrue. I couldn't stand to hear anyone saying these things, because it hurt to admit I wished it was all true... Minus the part about babies, and he was telling me everything I'd probably never hear. I shook my head, wailing loudly and was in the process of heading inside when he stopped me.

"Sorry Belle... I was joking about babies, he didn't say that. But he really said everything else... Please believe me..." Santino pleaded. The look in his eyes was so earnest that, though I still found it too much to believe, I nodded and said "Okay, I believe you" - though I hardly did. Lying was the only way to make him stop. I sighed and fell against him lamely, giving him a half-hearted hug and whimpering sadly. After we finally let go, I waved him away and walked back inside, my face scrunched up horribly.

"Belle, what's wrong? Did Santino upset you?" Mike asked, turning around as he would have seen me returning inside. I just shook my head and walked over, laying down on my bed and staring up at the roof. I raised a hand to my head, hoping to trick him into thinking I had a headache.

And it worked... Until someone new knocked on the door, and all hell broke loose.

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**| DANIEL'S POV |**

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"Who is it this time?" I could hear the infamous voice of one Mike Mizanin yell, on the other side of the door. I cringed; the sound of his voice wasn't one I found particularly pleasant. I could hear Belle shouting back "Let me answer it this time, you're giving me such a headache!". Now the sound of _her_ voice, that was something I had to admit I liked. Except when she was shouting...

A loud thump noise. A few swear words. A smack, a crash, and another almighty thump. I wondered why Mike was so insistent on being the one to open the door; after all, there was no way he could possibly know it was me. If he did, he would never answer the door. "But what if it's Maryse? I wanna talk to her too!" he whined. Belle replied "If it was, she'd be calling out 'Oh Miiiiikeeee, open uuuuuupppp!' in that delightful accent of hers, duh!".

"Well it could be for me, just because Eve and Santino came by to bug you about God knows what or who, doesn't mean this one's for you!" Mike retorted loudly. I knocked on the door again, desperately hating having to hear him be so cocky. I wanted to call out for Belle but I knew that would be risky.

"Ugh!" Belle exclaimed, sounding like she had either tripped her brother over, or fallen herself. Mike grumbled unintelligibly and whined "Okay, FINE, you get the goddamn door!". I heard footsteps scurrying over, becoming louder as they got closer. I yanked open the door and reached out with one arm, pulling her around the door without Mike seeing me.

"This one's for you" I murmured shyly, looking down as I mimicked what Mike had said, but in a completely different context. Belle looked at me with a surprised smile, smiled nervously and said "G-good morning Daniel...". And it was, just by seeing my new favourite Diva.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to speak to you after my match... After I watched it, I had something to take care of and then when I came looking for you, I was told you were with Alex and your brother, I didn't want to interrupt" I explained apologetically. A voice back in the furthest depths of my mind asked me, why was I apologizing? I hadn't promised anything, yet I felt like I should have just been there. "You wouldn't have been interrupting" she said softly, looking up at me properly. I just shook my head gently, trying to dissuade her thoughts.

"Anyway, I really liked your match, you were amazing out there... I especially liked the part where you got up in the ref's face and said 'I have until five'... Seriously, that was great!" I exclaimed. It was the last thing I thought I'd ever see anyone do, much less Belle Mizanin. She looked up at me, a smile slowly creeping onto her beautiful face.

"Well thankyou..." Belle replied shyly, leaning against the wall. She sighed a little, kicking the door shut with one of her feet. I shook my head sadly, realising I knew exactly why she did that - her brother was still in there. She looked up at me with a sad, confused little expression, frowning.

In an effort to cheer her up, I acted like I hadn't stopped speaking and said. "And... And I'm proud of you for that", feeling a previously unfamiliar redness invading my cheeks. Belle looked up at me with her nose scrunched up slightly, and said "Uhh... Thankyou...". She looked confused, but I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was pleased to hear me say so. She looked up at me and asked "Did you speak to Santino last night at all?", her eyes cast towards the ground as if she'd rather not be asking.

Shoot. Why was she asking me this? I'd heard Mike shouting at her and referring to Santino; had he spoken to her? That was certainly the impression I'd been given. Which wasn't good, because I'd spoken to him about her match. I'd told him I thought she looked great out there, had done well, and that she was talented... But that hadn't been everything. I'd also said that she was pretty and funny, and that I liked the purple in her hair. And Santino was the type who never failed to get excited over this stuff, as I could already tell. Looking up, I merely said "Yeah... I did...". I knew my response was lame but I was stunned, and it was the best I could manage.

Belle nodded, her smile suggesting she was terribly amused to hear this. I looked down as did she, both of us noticing i was still holding her hand. This wasn't the first time this had happened, but it still felt as exciting and magical as it had been then. I heard a voice mumbling from inside her room. Alex was rooming with someone else on the ground floor, so I knew it was still Mike. "Belle!" he hissed, loudly. I wondered what his problem was. He didn't know she was talking to 'the enemy'. But I figured that the longer she stayed outside, the more annoyed he would become.

"Sounds like someone's getting a little edgy" I joked, breaking our comfortable silence. She sighed deeply, shaking her head and staring out across the courtyard of our hotel. "I better go..." she whispered, avoiding my gaze until my voice jolted her out of her daze.

"Well, thanks for stepping outside to speak to me, I really... It was nice" I said honestly, smiling at her kindly. She was looking at me now with those shining eyes of hers. I grabbed her other hand, and leaned in daringly close, kissing her cheek gently. As I pulled away, she looked at me with nothing but pure shock. "Bye Belle, I'll see you next well" I called out hopefully as I slowly stepped away, making sure not to be too loud.

"Bye Dan-..." she started, looking as if she were blushing. She then stopped, before calling out "Uhh... Bye!" this time, waving. "See you next week!" she added, to which I smiled as I finally turned my back. I would definitely see_ her _next week, and I already couldn't wait.

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**[[A/N: Again, I'm dreadfully sorry for the wait, I really hope you liked this chapter. Hoped you enjoyed finally getting to experience Daniel's POV! If you've got any ideas for songs I could refer to in any way, please tell me! AND PLEASE REVIEW (L) Toodles xoxo]]**


	7. Forbidden To Me

**[[A/N: SUPER DUPER sorry for taking so long to update this, thankyou to the people that have subscribed recently, hope you like my story :D]]**

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**| DANIEL'S P.O.V.|**

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The thoughts of how tonight's show was meant to unfold played over in my mind. I'd picked up my script a day early so I could run over it, wanting to be extra sure of what I had to do. While it was true that doing what I had to do was very important, tonight felt different. I had to have perfect timing, I just couldn't figure out why it felt even more important than normal.

As I double-checked the relevant pages to make sure I hadn't missed anything, my eyes popped at one particular ring name - Belinda's. She would be at ringside for the triple threat tag match, and I couldn't believe I'd missed such a crucial detail. I was excited we'd be appearing at the same time, but I was also worried. What about? I was worried that I'd get distracted during the match and not only annoy Brandon, but that I'd piss off Mike, Vince, possibly the entire WWE universe... And I didn't want that.

Upon hearing a few solid knocks on the dressing room door, I called out "Come in". Santino and Oleg strolled in, the jovial Italian looking like he was bouncing off the walls. "_Buongiorno!_" Santino crowed, followed by Oleg waving and nodding as he hurriedly dropped his bags.

"So how are you?" I asked them. Oleg flashed a crooked smile and replied "We're good, we're good... What about you, huh?", winking mischievously.

"What was that?" I asked, referring to the wink. That seemed like something Santino would do, so now I felt positive they'd been discussing me. "Well we know that you... you are liking Belinda, obviously you not seen her all week... So how are you? Miss her?" the usually silent Russian asked. Of course, he'd hit the nail right on the head. I had missed Belinda a lot, more than I'd expected to.

"I did, I did..." I replied, watching Santino nudging Oleg excitedly and laughing, as if he'd expected me to say so. He reached out and took my already well-loved script, scanning over the relevant pages. "Oooooh, she gonna be ringside! This is good, eh?" he said excitedly. I cracked a small smile and nodded. Now I knew why tonight was important. Belinda would be there, and I wanted to be my absolute best in front of her. Sure, I already knew I was good at what I did, but I wanted her to see it too.

Now that the show had started, Santino and Oleg had left our dressing room and gone to talk to a few others, leaving me alone. I didn't mind - I was happy to sit in silence and watch the show as it unfolded. As I looked up at the TV on the wall, Bret Hart was walking out to the ring and putting over how this was the 900th episode of Raw. Inside my mind, I reflected on my career so far. I knew I was doing pretty well for myself, just by the fact that I was part of such a momentous occasion. This was a big deal, and everybody knew it.

But there was more to consider than just that... I'd made a name and a solid reputation for myself over the last ten years from my time spent in the indies. I was aware that some people liked to look down on that, but I couldn't care less about those opinions. I was happy with how much I'd accomplished at my age - why wouldn't I be?

As Glenn, otherwise known to the fans as Kane, lumbered down to the ring, I smiled. I hoped one day to be as accomplished and respected as he, Bret and the more senior members of the roster were. What more could a wrestler possibly ask for?

The other thing I hoped for in life was to find a nice girl and settle down. Much like my father, I was fairly traditional in that way, despite what my current relationship status might lead people to believe. I'd spent ten years focusing on my career which I didn't regret, but it just hadn't left me much time or energy to pursue a relationship for too long. I knew it would be hard, but now that I was just that little bit more stable, I wanted to find the right girl.

I was already beginning to doubt my luck though, barely able to remember the last time I'd kissed a girl, much less gone on a date. And the only girl I was interested in dating right now was the one that I would never be able to call my own, which hurt a lot more than I would willingly admit. It was stupid of me to want Belinda, and now I cursed myself for wanting what was forbidden to me.

"Daniel, we gotta be out in five!" I heard Brandon call out. Now known to the fans as Kaval, he was another of the wrestlers I admired, and I was definitely glad he was my tag partner for tonight. I quickly changed into my trunks and walked into the hallway, hugging him in a brotherly fashion. We spent the remainder of our free time rehashing what our plans for the match were, and once we we were ready we went out and made our entrance.

Mike, Alex and Belinda were already in the ring. As soon as I looked at her, my heart began beating like crazy. Mike just glared at me angrily, which sadly wasn't much of a surprise, and as soon as he noticed Belinda waving slightly, he grabbed her hand and dragged her away. Brandon looked at me with sympathy in his eyes, and as the bell rang to start the match, I just sighed. Mike wasn't going to make tonight easy on me, I just knew it.

* * *

**| BELLE'S P.O.V.|**

**

* * *

**

As I looked up at Mike on the ring apron, I shook my head and stared at the ground. I'd thought subtly waving to Daniel would have been an innocent gesture, but it hadn't been in my script and I was sure he knew that. I was pleased that Alex was starting the triple threat tag team match with Kofi and Daniel, as he wasn't quite on par with Mike in terms of viciousness.

I closed my eyes involuntarily as Mike distracted Daniel, watching as Alex got in a total cheap-shot of a punch to the jaw. I knew it was necessary in order to really sell the match to the fans, but I couldn't ignore how real I thought it looked. My only consolation was that Daniel was just selling hard and probably wasn't hurting as much as he seemed to be.

Just as quickly as he'd thrown the punch, Alex darted backwards cleverly, leaving Daniel to the mercy of my brother. Daniel and Mike began trading punches on the apron, until Mike lurched backwards after being kicked in the stomach. He fell to the ground and as planned, I grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet.

This was the moment where I became truly conflicted. I loved watching my brother in action and kicking ass, but I loved watching Daniel too and I hated the way my brother hit him. It seemed more forceful and violent than necessary, like he wanted to kill him right then and there, instead of doing his job and merely making it *seem* that way. I felt like I was stuck in the middle of two men whom I greatly admired, with no idea what to do. It was like everything in my script had been completely erased from my brain.

After looking away for a moment, I was relieved to see they'd finally stopped punching on. Kofi had jumped into the air, kicking Daniel in the face. "Trouble in Paradise!" King cried. I almost had a heart attack as Alex went to pin Daniel, shockingly relieved as he kicked out. _What the fuck is wrong with me?_ I thought to myself, shaking my head in disbelief. I already knew what the result would be, and here I was wishing it otherwise.

Kofi then kicked Alex instead, and immediately tried to pin him, but Daniel dove over and broke it up immediately. "Yeah, Daniel!" I cheered, then I froze up like a statue. Mike and Alex were staring at me like I'd just declared my allegiance to the KKK or something, and I was scared.

Before either of us really had time to speak, Daniel and Kofi were hurtling through the air as they both went for a crossbody at the same time. However, the combination of two bodies smacking into each other mid air caused them to fail, and they fell to the canvas like empty cans of soda. I saw Daniel writhing on the canvas in pain as he tried to get to his knees, and jumped onto the apron with Mike. "Get up Daniel! Come on, you can do this!" I shouted, trying to encourage him to find his feet again. I bit my lip, looking at Mike guiltily, knowing I would be in deep trouble once we were backstage for disobeying the script not once, but twice.

I smiled a little as Daniel tagged in Brandon and Kofi did the same with Joe, more commonly known as Michael McGillicutty. The two of them began battling it out in the middle of the ring while Alex lay in our corner, slumped awkwardly against the ringpost. With Daniel out of the ring and Alex taking a backseat, I felt like I could finally breathe. He was far away from Mike and Alex, out of harm's way and completely safe, just where I wanted him to be. He looked exhausted, which he had every right to be - he'd given it one hundred and ten percent as usual, just one of the reasons why I admired him so much. I couldn't deny that my feelings for Daniel were based on more than just professional admiration, but with my head in the state it was in now, saying anything to him would be ill-advised.

Finally turning my attention back to the match, I patted Mike's shoulder encouragingly as Alex finally tagged him in. I wanted to ask Alex if he was okay as he looked completely drained, but somehow I couldn't find the words, much less the ability to speak. As soon as Mike hit Brandon with the Skull Crushing Finale and picked up the win as scheduled, I stepped through the ropes, though perhaps a little too early. Mike was too busy now taunting Daniel to celebrate his and Alex's victory. Visibly excited, Alex tried to distract Mike from our side of the ropes, but Daniel rushed over and elbowed him in the shoulder, letting him fall to the ground lifelessly. Now with his briefcase in hand, Mike ran up and hit Daniel in the back of the head as I reeled out of the way just in time. Daniel fell flat on his face and I winced, knowing he'd be feeling the impact for a while yet. My brother then reached out and grabbed my hand, tugging impatiently until I climbed through the ropes and stood in front of him, shivering nervously.

With a microphone in hand, he seethed silently for a few seconds, his chest rising and falling with every slow, ragged breath he took. "Belle, what was that all about?" he yelled, coming closer to me. I was terrified. This was coming out of nowhere; it was unscripted, unpredicted, and I was having trouble knowing whether his anger was real, or just exaggerated as he had to make it look real without any practice or inclination beforehand.

"I'm sorry!" I squealed, staring at the canvas. The crowd was in silence, obviously as stunned and surprised as we were, not having expected this.

"Sorry? Sorry!" Mike repeated, throwing my weak apology back at me as I waited for him to yell at me some more. "Belle, you have no idea what you just did! You're _my_ younger sister, you should have been cheering for us, telling us to get up when we were down!" he cried angrily, as Alex just stood there next to him, nodding soberly.

"Like I said, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, I really don't!" I replied, as loudly as possible, trying to overcome my newfound case of nerves. Mike just shook his head, exhaling deeply as he stepped closer.

"And like _I_ said, you should have been cheering for us! You're my sister, why on earth would you cheer for that sub-standard loser Daniel Bryan? What the hell is your problem?" he spat viciously.

I stole the microphone from him momentarily as I backed away, so I could speak and be heard whilst maintaining a safe distance. "Mike, Alex, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I... I gotta go!" I wailed, dropping the microphone instantly and sliding through the ropes, jumping to the floor instantly. Daniel reached out for my hand, apparently hoping to stop me from running away, but I shook him off hurriedly and ran up the ramp, not stopping until I was backstage. Eve was already waiting there for me and once I knew the cameras weren't on me anymore, I threw my arms around her, breaking down and sobbing like a baby.

"Was that scripted?" she asked in a deliberately quiet voice, evidently sensing my desperation. I shook my head and coughed "N-no... It j-just... It just happened...", sniffling a little. With her hands on my shoulders, Eve pulled back and looked at me, shaking her head as she took a deep breath and sighed. "Shit..." she gasped. I knew she was in shock too, much like Mike, Alex, and Daniel were. I headed in the direction of the Divas locker room and she walked me there, something I was silently grateful for. I felt like I needed her to accompany me at least that far.

As soon as we stepped inside, I grabbed my phone and my purse, gripping them tightly as my hands began to shake. Eve leaned over and hugged me tightly, sighing as we heard a knock on the door. "Belle, I'm sorry but I've gotta run, my match starts in five minutes" she said apologetically. I smiled and let go instantly, waving her off. "Kick ass for me!" I called out as she walked away, leaving the room soon after.

Walking slowly through the brightly-lit hallways, I knew I was walking past clusters of people that in the realm of technicality were all too visible, but in my mind they were merely blurs. I didn't say a word to anyone I passed. What could I say? "_Oh hey, I'm Belinda Mizanin and guess what? I might be falling for Daniel Bryan!_"

Yeah, fucking right. Everyone acted as if Daniel and my brother were mortal enemies. And if there were any truth to that whatsoever, it wouldn't be wise to declare my newfound feelings to the entire RAW roster and crew. I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing I felt I could. I found the closest spare room, curled up on a bench and cried until I ran out of tears. It wasn't necessarily sadness; I was just confused, unsure, and didn't know how to deal with what I was feeling.

As I slowly stirred from the bench, I heard my phone ringing, now from inside my purse. I fumbled awkwardly with the metal clasp, eventually wrenching it open with all the strength I could muster. I had a special ringtone reserved for unknown callers and it wasn't the one playing, so it was obviously someone I knew, but through my tears I couldn't read the Caller ID. Nervously, I answered the call, holding the phone to my ear as I took a few deep breaths.

"Hello?" I coughed, waiting for my caller to answer. I couldn't even tell who it was but from the way I shook, I knew that whoever was calling me was not someone I was meant to ignore. I generally trusted my instincts and right now they were telling me to stay strong as this person, whoever he or she might be, could very well decide my fate.

* * *

**[[A/N: oooooo, purposeful cliffhanger! Who is calling Belinda? Will they make things good or bad? What will Daniel say? :O Keep reading and reviewing to find out the answers. I have a goal in mind and if I write something before I get there, I most likely won't post until I reach it. If you've got ideas or song suggestions, please feel free to include the in a PM or your review. Toodles! xoxo]]**


	8. Consequences And Catalysts

**[[A/N: Oh my god. Can't believe it took me this long to update, but I hope the added length of this chapter at least kinda makes up for it. Thanks to _VegasxHoneyDust, luneara eclipse, Miss-RKO, KissWithAFistx _and_ KatieKazaMizAwesom_e for reviewing the last chapter. Your kind words are greatly appreciated, this one's for you (L)]]**

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**| Belle's POV |**

* * *

The phone call didn't last for much longer. I was provided with one instruction; to locate my caller immediately so we could talk. They hadn't said much, and I couldn't even tell whether they were upset with me or not. I wanted desperately to know, but they had refused to give anything away. It was moments like these that made me despise secrets. Sure, they had their place, but this was freaking me out a little too much for me to find it amusing or exciting.

As I finally wiped away my tears and stood up, I clutched my purse and walked out of the room. My phone rang immediately; this time, I wasn't blinded by tears, so I could immediately see my mother was calling me. I didn't even want to begin guessing why, though I prayed that was just paranoia. It would certainly be a comforting thought.

"Mom?" I coughed, trying to clear my throat and not sound like I'd just been crying. Her voice was already raised, certainly not a good sign. I wanted to hang up, but I couldn't, and I didn't. I merely replied "So, have you been watching RAW tonight?". Which, of course, was a stupid question. Her son was Mr Money In The Bank, and her daughter was WWE's newest Diva. How could she possibly miss it?

"Belinda Hope Mizanin! What was that?" she exclaimed. I was stunned by that alone. I didn't expect her to realise it hadn't been scripted, which was certainly what she seemed to think. I wasn't too sure of how much Mike told her about his storylines, which made it harder for me to know what to say.

"What?" I replied dumbly, embarrassed that it was the best I could come up with. She clucked her tongue disapprovingly and cried "You know exactly what you did! What were you thinking, cheering for Daniel Bryan? He's only your brother's mortal enemy! How could you be so stupid?"

I groaned, holding my hand to my forehead as I forced myself to keep walking along. My mother wasn't a liar, so now I had to face the truth. I really was falling for the "enemy", just as Eve had hinted. "Mom, it isn't what you think!" I pleaded, trying to sound serious as I fought back the urge to sniffle miserably. I had to think of something, and fast!

"What was it then?" she hissed impatiently. What the hell was her problem? I couldn't understand. She was never mean, vindictive, selfish or cruel; so why was she doing this now? Whatever she had heard about Daniel obviously hadn't been good, and I was sure I could guess who she'd heard it from.

"It wasn't scripted... because it was a complete spur-of-the-moment thing. Creative told me that they came up with the idea of putting us in a storyline together, and told me to do that to start the ball rolling. I'm not sure if they told Mike, but that was what we discussed" I lied smoothly, wishing it was true. At least then I'd have a legitimate, permissible reason to cheer for Daniel instead of Mike. My mother sighed and said "Sorry for not trusting you... But you know that Mike can't stand Daniel, I would hate to see you get involved with someone like that".

Someone like that? I had to wonder what she meant. In my heart I felt sure that someone like Daniel might just be the best for me. He was sweet, gentle, unassuming, humble, talented, funny... What more could a mother want for her daughter?

After I said goodbye and hung up, I turned my phone off as I reached my destination. I knocked on the door and took a deep breath once I heard footsteps approaching, and saw the door open. I was greeted with a polite "Good evening", which I returned quietly as I stumbled my way to the closest chair. I looked up, meeting my caller's eyes. I had to be in real trouble now. Vince MacMahon had called me into his office for a reason, and I was sure he wasn't going to let this slide.

"I assume you know why you are here?" he asked suddenly, startling me. I straightened up in my chair and nodded as I replied "Y-yes, Vince", cowering slightly. I was terrified of what could happen. I didn't want to lose my job, to be fired, which had to be why he'd called me. Why else would he want to see me so urgently?

"Do you remember the Montreal Screwjob? Or the Curtain Call Incident?" he asked. _Oh God..._ I thought to myself, closing my eyes as I nodded, too scared to confirm this verbally. He accepted this as an answer and moved on. "As I'm sure Steve, Shawn or Paul could easily tell you, those moments had their consequences. In life, I've found that every moment, no matter how unimportant it might seem at first, will have its consequences and catalysts" he said thoughtfully, obviously pausing as he figured out how to deal with what I'd done. "You're absolutely right boss, and I just want to say that I am incredibly sorry for what i did... I'll understand if you wish to release me from the company" I wailed, burying my head into my hands. I could see what was happening. The moment he was referring to was my cheering for Daniel. The consequence was that I would be punished. In turn, the need for punishment would be the catalyst for the cessation of my employment. It was all becoming clear to me, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"What?" Vince exclaimed, looking terribly shocked. I raised my eyebrow, shaking my head. "I know why you called me into your office, Vince... You want to punish me for what I did, like Paul was punished for the Curtain Call Incident, only worse... You're going to fire me for breaking script!" I rambled, biting my lip to stop myself from talking. He looked at me with confusion in his eyes for a moment, eventually shaking his head. "Belinda, I apologize for making you think that way, but I'm not about to fire you. On the contrary, what you did has inspired me to add something to Mike and Daniel's storyline... You're now going to serve as an on-screen love interest for Daniel, as well as being a competitor in your own right" he explained, smiling kindly. What perfect luck! It would not only allow me to spend more time with Daniel, but I would be able to show the world both my acting skills and athletic ability.

The conversation continued in this same vein for a while, with Vince promising to speak to Mike and Daniel about it, and tell them that my extra involvement tonight was a spur-of-the-moment idea he'd forgotten to share with them. I thanked him profusely as I left his office, pulling out my iPod once I closed the door behind myself. Stuffing my headphones into my ears hurriedly, I couldn't help but to crack a wide smile. I hadn't been fired, punished, had my employment contract torn up before my eyes... I was still a WWE Diva, and I was about to enter a huge world of opportunity. I felt almost invincible, untouchable even. As I hit the "Play" button on my iPod, I laughed at the song that came up first. Considering how I felt, it was awfully fitting.

"_Can't touch this... Can't touch this... Can't touch this... Can't touch this!_" I rapped eagerly, enjoying the beat of the only MC Hammer song I knew. I bounced down the hallway, narrowly avoiding techies and cameramen as I journeyed back to the Divas' locker-room. As soon as I knocked on the door, it fell open and Eve ushered me in, accompanied by Gail, Melina, and Nattie. Luckily, Maryse was nowhere to be seen. I hated thinking like this, but I knew she'd just get all suspicious like my mom had, so seeking her out really wasn't worth risking. "You seem to be in a much better mood" Eve commented. I nodded eagerly and replied "Well I talked to Vince, everything's fine... He said I inspired him to change the storyline, I'm going to 'serve as an on-screen love interest'... I thought he was going to fire me but..." I started, losing my breath in my excitement.

Eve giggled and finished my sentence for me, saying "He knows that would be a horrible idea, and that this one is much better!". I hugged her tightly then let go, feeling a bit hyperactive and unable to stand still. "Gail, Melina, Nattie, come over here!" I called out. They soon joined Eve and I as we formed a huddle, each wrapping our arms around the shoulders of those we were next to. As they picked up on our excitement, the five of us began jumping up and down happily. I could tell that they were curious as to what exactly was going on, but still eager to celebrate my good mood, which was nice

* * *

.As expected, I didn't sleep too much that night. But since it was out of excitement instead of fear, I ignored it, still feeling as excited as anything. When I woke up, Mike looked at me with a thoughtful smile, shaking his head and laughing. "It's really not like Vince to be so forgetful, is it?" he asked. I could tell by that question that Vince had spoken to Mike last night, just as promised, and it made me wonder if Daniel was clued in yet. I knew the truth of the situation but could I admit that? No, I couldn't. So I just nodded along and said "No, it really isn't...", not sure of what else was appropriate.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you so bad last night, it just really... it put me on the spot, and it just... came to me, I had to say something" he added, smiling apologetically. After I gulped involuntarily, I forced myself to smile eagerly and shrug my shoulders, acting like it was nothing. "I understand..." I said quietly, trying not to remember how scared I'd been when he yelled at me.

He stood up from the kitchen table and stepped over to my bed, pulling me up into a massive bear hug. "I kinda freaked out because I had no idea why you did that, whether it was scripted or not, though now I know it was... You're my sister and I love you, and I'd hate to see you getting caught up with someone like Daniel, he's just... he's no good for you" he said, his eyes pleading and wide. I looked at him and sighed deeply, at a loss for words. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was trying to look out for me, but I didn't understand why he hated Daniel. I really wanted to punch him in the face, but I opted to nod and sit back down, seething silently. Luckily I was saved from my sudden anger when my phone began ringing. I immediately snatched it up from the bedside, immediately confused when an unknown number was flashing up on the screen.

"Uhh... Hello?" I asked slowly. My heart immediately leapt up into my throat when i heard the voice on the other end. Daniel! Daniel was calling me! It was no wonder I hadn't known, because I didn't know his number, which made me wonder who he'd had to ask for mine.

"Sorry, I realise you probably don't know my number, I asked Santino for yours because I wanted to call you" Daniel explained. I realised it probably didn't mean anything, but the fact that he'd bothered to ask someone was really quite heart-warming.

"That's fine, so what's up?" I asked cheerily, after a slight pause in speech - I was trying not to mention his name while Mike was within earshot. "I talked to Vince last night and then I went looking for you, but I couldn't find you" he replied softly, kindness evident in his voice. I was amazed. He'd gone looking for me yet again? Amazing, just... amazing. He really was.

"Oh, sorry about that, I was on the phone a fair bit, but I left soon after talking to him..." I half-lied, wincing slightly at the recent memory. My mother's voice was still ringing in my ears every now and then, and while I had calmed down pretty well, I was still worried a little. "You want me to come find you?"

"Yeah, that'd be great... I'm in the hotel restaurant waiting for my breakfast" he replied. _Perfect_, I thought to myself. Now I'd get a chance to eat _and_ talk with Daniel - it would probably be the first proper conversation we'd ever had! I was thrilled at the thought, but tried not to let it show too much on my face for fear Mike might notice. After I promised I'd be there soon and said goodbye, I went and changed into matching white bra and panties, pulling on a knee-length purple dress with thick straps. Mike asked me where I was going and I just said I was going downstairs for breakfast, which was a half-truth so at least I wasn't lying. I raced out of the room, running down to the restaurant with all the calm of a raging bull - I had hardly ever been so eager to see someone. I looked around the room, seeing nobody I knew at first - which was slightly daunting, I had to admit - until I saw Daniel waving to me.

Immediately, I rushed over and sat across the table from him, smiling as he took one of my hands and kissed it softly. _I wish he would kiss me for real... No! Stop it Belle, you're being stupid!_ I thought to myself, biting down on my lip as he let go of my hand. He looked at me with an expectant smile and asked "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?", as a waitress hovered near our table. I looked up at him, then turned my attention to the waitress and said "One large stack of pancakes please, with extra maple syrup". She scribbled down my order and walked away, leaving me with Daniel - what joy!

"So... Are you okay with it? Vince putting us in a storyline, I mean?" Daniel asked quietly. I looked at him with a cautious expression, trying not to seem too excited - that could reveal everything I felt far too soon. "Yeah, it's fine... I think the fans could really get into it, it will build on what you and Mike already have going on" I replied, after a brief moment of thought. Daniel smiled, seeming pleased with this answer and nodded accordingly, which was a relief, since I could tell from his smile that he didn't have a problem with it either.

"I thought Mike overreacted a bit last night though, he didn't need to be so loud... He looked like he really scared you" Daniel whispered softly, leaning across the table slightly as he did so. I assumed he was doing this out of the need to maintain privacy while discussing storylines in public, and sighed softly. Of course I agreed with him. I had been scared - no, terrified - and his loudness was what had scared me most. He didn't even try to control how he really felt, which would be problematic. "Yeah, I guess he did, but he apologized this morning so we're cool now" I replied, cringing at the thought.

He raised his eyebrow slightly and shook his head. "Are you sure? If you want, I'll talk to him for you, he's got no right to be so harsh" he stated. "I mean, Vince told me he hadn't known until after, and it's no secret we don't get along, but still... I just don't like the way he spoke to you, you deserve better..."

I blushed deeply as he spoke, hardly able to believe the way he said what he did. Why did he seem to care about me so much? I knew Eve suspected he had feelings for me, which I still refused to believe. He was obviously the utmost example of a gentleman, with politeness an manners to boot. If you added to that his kind eyes, winning smile, athletic body, amazing talent, unparalleled humility, he was pretty much perfect - everything I could hope for, but would obviously have to struggle in order to call my own.

"Really, Daniel, it's okay... But thankyou, you're very kind" I mumbled shyly, fiddling anxiously with my hand. He looked at me and just as my pancakes and his toasted sandwiches arrived, he leaned across the table and kissed my cheek. _Shit_, I thought to myself. _Why did he have to do that?_ It made me like him all the more. Yet again, I felt myself blushing deeply and I reached for my cutlery, immediately shoveling pancakes into my mouth because no suitable words were springing to mind. We ate our breakfasts together in a comfortable silence, the only noise produced being either chewing noises, happy sighs, or the metallic clang of my cutlery hitting my plate.

"Anyway, I was thinking, since we're going to be working together a lot more, maybe we should travel together one week and use the time to get to know each other a little better?" Daniel said, completely out of the blue. If I'd still had food in my mouth, I would've no doubt started coughing and spluttering in shock, but luckily that wasn't the case. "That would be really fun, I'd like that" I replied immediately, trying not to imagine it prematurely. I knew I'd love nothing more than to spend time alone with Daniel - in the most innocent sense of the phrase, of course. We hadn't really been able to speak for any length of time until now and it was nice to think we'd have a definite chance. "I generally try and go home in between shows, but I was hoping maybe we could go on a road trip and get to wherever the following show is a day early" he explained, leaving me smiling with delight. I was looking forward to it more with every second.

"Yeah! It'll be _so_ much fun!" I enthused, and I really meant it. I didn't know exactly how those days might pan out, but I imagined us watching movies until late, eating junk food until our stomachs imploded, building a fort, and seeing what music our iPods had in common... It was going to be an awesome time and I honestly couldn't wait. We talked about it for quite a while after that, discussing which hotel chains we liked best, which fast food chains had the best chips, which salads and ice-creams we liked best, what our favourite crappy movies were, just to name a few topics. I felt like I could talk to Daniel forever and given the opportunity, I probably would. I only looked at my watch once, letting out a short burst of laughter. I'd been sitting with Daniel for two hours, and it felt like much less time has passed. _Well, they do say that time flies when you're having fun..._ I thought to myself.

"Daniel, I'm so sorry to do this, but I should be going now, I need to fit in a workout before my flight" I admitted sadly, frowning a little. I couldn't remember whether my airline for the day charged cancellation fees or not, and didn't relish the thought of getting told off by some snooty airline staff either. He replied "Hey that's totally fine, I'm probably supposed to leave soon anyway", smiling sincerely. He stood up after signaling a waiter, slipping him the money before I could make it otherwise. "Hey now, I dragged you down here, it's my treat" he insisted, practically sending me weak at the knees. Not because of the money or freedom from having to pay, but because he was just so generous. I threw my arms around him, quietly thanking him because I didn't want to make a scene.

After I kissed his cheek and he responded in kind, I walked out of the restaurant feeling as light as a cloud. I had never met anyone so kind and sweet and caring before, and despite Mike's warnings, I knew I was falling for him even harder. I was looking forward to life in general now, just that little bit more, because of him. I also couldn't wait to travel with him in a few weeks' time.

After all, it was just a road trip.

With Daniel.

What could possibly go wrong?

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**[[A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I have definite plans in mind for their road trip but if you can recommend crappy movies, vegan-friendly fast food chains, cheesy karaoke songs or anything else I can use in their road trip's chapter, please lemmeh know :D Reviews are much appreciated, I have goals yo, and I wanna know what y'all think! So yeah... PEACE! xoxo]]**


	9. Goodnight, Beautiful

**[[A/N: Thanks to *_luneara eclipse, KatieKazaMizAwesome _and_ KissWithAFistx_* for reviewing, it's very muchly appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter (L)... Btw, this show follows the Raw episode of 6th September, I made up the dialogue based on the episode summary I worked from.]]**

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**| BELLE'S POV |**

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"So, you're excited about the change in storyline with you, Daniel and your brother?" Maryse asked, looking across the table at me. We were in a cafe in Washington, D.C, a few hours before we had to be at the arena. I coughed slightly, not quite sure of what I could say that wouldn't give away my feelings. Then I decided to pick up my hot chocolate, taking a sip to buy some time before I would finally reply.

"Umm, yeah... I think it will be really good..." I replied vaguely, placing my cup on the saucer again. Maryse smiled at me kindly which was a relief, because at least I knew she didn't suspect anything. _Ugh, what I wouldn't give to be able to tell her how I really feel..._ I thought to myself. _But I can't, she would tell Mike and then he'd hate me forever..._

"_Grande_, Belle... _Je suis heureux d'entendre cela_" she replied. I cocked my head slightly, sipping from my drink again. "_Merci beaucoup_, Maryse... I think it'll be a _merveilleuse façon_ to show the WWE Universe that I can both act and wrestle..." I said, which was partly true. I wanted to show the world what I was physically capable of... though I certainly wouldn't be acting. What I felt for Daniel was honest and completely real, no matter how crazy it would seem to Mike and my mother. I knew who I wanted, even if I could only dream of him feeling the same.

Within the next ten minutes, Mike arrived with our scripts just as our lunches arrived. For the remainder of our outing, we munched on our sandwiches and discussed what was in our scripts. I was pretty happy with how my evening was to be - I was playing a role in Mike and Daniel's segment after my match against Maryse. We were to be joined by a few certain someones during the match, though I tried not to focus on that too much because it made me incredibly nervous. The only thing that kept me calm was the thought of speaking to Daniel later today, as we'd already arranged to find each other later. Already, I couldn't wait to be in his company again.

* * *

**| TWO HOURS LATER |**

* * *

After arriving at the arena by two-thirty, Mike, Maryse and I met up with Alex. My brother, Alex and I spent about an hour going over our segments and their involvement in my match, which left my heart all aflutter, as I felt more nervous than ever before. I couldn't understand why... It was all scripted, but still... The thought of Mike and Daniel being together so many times in one evening was slightly scary to imagine. After they had left to find their locker room, Maryse and I holed up in the Divas locker room with Melina and Alicia as we all discussed our respective matches. Just as we were winding up, I heard my phone vibrating and swore lightly. It was four o'clock, the time by which I had promised to meet up with Daniel.

"Crap!" I exclaimed loudly. Maryse looked at me in shock, as it would have been completely random to her. "_Quel est le problème_, Belle?" she asked, her pitch raising slightly to indicate a question was being asked. I scrambled to my feet, grabbing my backpack as I shouted back "Fuck, I'm running late!". She looked at me, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow as I tied up my shoes. I ignored her and ran straight out of the room, racing through the corridors until I found the lockerroom that Daniel, Oleg and Santino were sharing.

"Daniel!" I cried loudly, causing Santino to drop his water bottle from shock. Daniel looked up, setting down his book immediately and standing up to greet me. I hugged him tentatively, not sure if he would acceot the gesture in front of Santino and Oleg, but I was shown otherwise when he hugged me back and kissed my cheek. Santino stomped his foot excitedly and clapped, whereas Oleg was silent. "I'm so sorry I'm late, I was running over the match with Maryse, I completely forgot about the time until my phone just started beeping, I just freaked out and..." I babbled, until Daniel looked at me and shook his head.

"Belle, it's just a few minutes, I'm not mad..." he replied kindly, smiling as we finally let go of each other. I reached for one of his hands without thinking, and smiled right back. "I just thought... Ugh, never mind... Shall we go find someplace quiet so we can discuss our segments?" I asked, glancing momentarily at Santino and Oleg, who were chattering excitedly, mentioning our names a few times. I softly slapped Santino upside the head and said "We're still here, _non dimenticare!_". Daniel laughed and brushed some hair out of my eyes, and we left after he picked up his bags. We ended up spending the next few hours sitting in an empty meeting room talking about my match and his segment with Mike, Alex and myself... That was, until we moved onto other topics such as our favourite wrestlers growing up, whilst eating from a big bag of popcorn I'd brought along. Spending time just sitting with Daniel felt like the most natural thing in the world, and not even the odd text from Mike, Maryse or Alex demanding to know my whereabouts could spoil it.

"So, what are you doing tomorrow?" Daniel asked softly. I blinked softly, trying to remember and wishing I didn't have an answer. After looking through the calendar in my phone, I sighed. "I have my first photoshoot tomorrow, then an interview with Mike and Alex... Any reason you asked?" I replied, almost half-heartedly.

"Oh, I was hoping to take you to lunch tomorrow..." he replied, suddenly looking downcast - or was I just imagining it? I smiled apologetically and said "Well, if it wasn't for that then I would be happy to go with you". He perked up at hearing this, and I added "Maybe we could go for lunch next Tuesday instead?"

A crooked smile crept onto Daniel's face and I shivered excitedly. How was it fair for one man to be so beautiful? He replied "I was actually hoping we could go on our road trip then, maybe we could get going after lunch?". My eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and I grabbed his hands, somehow resisting the urge to pull him into a deep, passionate kiss out of nowhere. "I would love that, it's going to be SO much fun!" I squealed. He pulled me into a hug as we sat next to each other, half pulling me into his lap. We stayed like this until the absolute last minute when I had to go get changed, and do my own hair and makeup. This wasn't something I normally did by myself before a match, but I'd run out of time... Yet I knew it was worth it, just to feel like this.

"And her opponent, from Cleveland, Ohio... Belle Mizanin!" Justin called out. I walked out, dancing from side to side in time with my music as I skipped down the ramp, slapping a few outstretched hands on my way. Approaching the closest turnbuckle, I climbed up and stood on the ropes, blowing kisses before launching into a backflip, landing on the canvas in a perfect split position. As I stood up, facing Maryse for a moment, I took a deep breath, miming a few punches to the air as the bell rang. Immediately, she pushed me to the ground so I fell right on my ass. After pounding my fist against the canvas, I stood up and slapped her, taking advantage of her daziness post-slap to grab her in a side headlock and pull off a running bulldog.

"Yeah!" I shouted, punching the air and grinning at the crowd. Like any true heel diva, Maryse came up behind and grabbed at my hair, pulling it and making me squeal like a child. To get her away from me, I did the only logical thing: I stretched my leg out and kicked her in the stomach, then attempted to win the match with my bridging spear, though she kicked out at two. "This isn't over yet, Frenchie!" I shouted for the crowd to hear, smirking and blowing a kiss to her. As if I was trying to prove just that, I grabbed her in another side headlock, this time executing a swinging neckbreaker. I attempted to cover her, but she rolled out of the way before I could even hook her leg. "_Maudit sois-tu!_" I screeched in French, which Cole found pretty amusing.

"She's pretty, she can fight, and she speaks French... Maybe I should take her out on a date?" he called out. As planned, ran over to the ropes and waved jokingly, shaking my head and rolling my eyes, cringing internally - I knew Michael Cole was the last guy I'd ever go on a date with. _Thank God it'll never actually happen..._ I thought to myself, screaming as Maryse pulled me into a perfect rollup pin fron behind, which I managed to kick out of by the count of 2.

After I got to my knees, I looked out at the ramp, running to the ropes excitedly as I saw Daniel walking out. As I felt Maryse's footsteps reverberating through the canvas, I turned around and jumped on her back, forcing her down to the mat and attempting to pull her into the LeBell lock. Sadly, she wriggled out of my grip. I whined "No, no, no!" as I shakily stood up. As I leant on the ropes for support, I tried to reach for Daniel's hand, but Maryse dragged me away and got me to my feet, bringing me down just as quickly with a French Kiss DDT. I rolled to the side of the ring after that, giving myself about a minute while she taunted me and played to the crowd.

Letting out a soft sigh, I winced quietly as I pulled myself into a vertical position. I gave Maryse a few good punches and then dropkicked her to the mat. After that, she laid there on the mat, selling the move perfectly so I could waddle away on my knees Moving slowly across the canvas, I approached Daniel who was standing on the ground, leaning in and kissing his cheek. I was about to kiss him properly when Maryse made her way over and grabbed my hair again, pulling me to my feet. Just as she took me down with a French TKO, Mike and Alex walked out, and I could just see from the corners of my eyes that they were having a staredown with Daniel. I laid completely still as Maryse pinned me and the referee raised her hand as she crowed victoriously. I bit down on my lip as I got to my knees, willing myself to cry in an effort to play the role of the miserable loser.

Daniel climbed into the ring and took my hand, patting my shoulder comfortingly. I smiled and stood up with him, just hugging him tightly, leaving Cole quite amused. "I don't understand why Belle would hug that loser... Maybe she's still suffering from that kick to the head?" he wondered aloud, causing me to turn my head in his direction. If the eyes of everyone in the audience weren't on us, I probably would have snarled angrily and proceeded to give him a beating that he'd never forget. But I didn't even have time to imagine it, because as Maryse left the ring, Mike and Alex climbed in. Alex wrenched Daniel out of my arms and I whimpered like a baby. Meanwhile, Mike gripped his microphone tightly as he took a few deep breaths.

"Care to explain what we all just saw?" Mike cried out in anger, frowning so much that his forehead wrinkled quite deeply. I looked at him and shook my head, yelling back "Mike, I just lost my match and Daniel was comforting me, that's all...", not even daring to smile; it wasn't part of the script.

"in case you didn't notice, my darling sister, Daniel was the reason you lost your match! He distracted you... and you tried to kiss him? You should have slapped him!" he shouted. I backed into the corner, cowering fearfully. The thought of slapping Daniel, of causing him even the slightest amount of pain... It hurt me to even imagine doing so.

I shook my head, refusing to speak. Mike leered viciously, nodding at Alex almost unnoticeably, who I turned to look at. Daniel was caught in a side headlock, not being allowed to move. "Let him go!" I cried, wincing as I felt a few tears spring to my eyes, something I'd had to practise copiously sonce my first televised appearance, all the way back im OVW. Mike just glared, and replied "Belle, just leave... Daniel, I will deal with you later". Alex shoved Daniel out of the ring, sending him flying out of the ropes. I quickly jumped out after him and took his hand as we walked back up the ramp, and together we waited backstage until I had to leave for our next segment.

As I stood in the middle of the ring with Mike and Alex, I glanced up at the ramp expectantly. Mike had just unveiled the cover of the latest WWE magazine after making his big speech and proceeding to tell everybody how "awesome" he was. Daniel would be here soon, and I couldn't wait.

As if my mere thoughts had willed it to occur, Daniel's entrance music hit and he appeared at the top of the ramp. With a microphone in hand, he made his way down and said "Hi Mike Mizanin, my name is Daniel Bryan". I grinned and waved with both arms, not needing to fake my over-the-top excitement. "You know, I think we have a lot in common... For example, people always said "Oh, he's a nobody, he'll never make it"... Remember that?" Daniel said. Mike let the widest of smirks spread across his face and I arched one eyebrow distastefully as he said "Yeah well, the difference between us is that you still haven't made it!". Alex was clapping encouragingly and I frowned, immediately distancing myself from them and moving nearer to Daniel.

"Maybe you're right..." Daniel said softly. Mike and Alex looked at each other and grinned widely, chuckling and guffawing like fools. I shook my head, listening as Daniel went on to explain that he came out to generic music that was unrecognisable to him. I shrugged lightly, not having any other opinion on his music apart from the fact that I liked it. He also told everyone that he had a ten dollar haircut. It was a completely random fact, but I couldn't help but smile. At that moment, I took a second microphone from Alex and said "I hardly think that matters... I happen to really like your haircut", then embraced him loosely, kissing his cheek. Daniel raised his microphone to his lips once again and said. "Thanks Belle", hugging me gently. "And what's more, I have to wear my ring attire in the back just so that security doesn't throw me out. It's so weird... Once, I actually had to show my ID three times!" he added, pausing and taking a deep breath.

"But none of that matters, because if you and I were to have a match for the US title, I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I would beat you" Daniel then pronounced, leaving Mike and Alex completely shocked.

"I agree... that you do have a ten dollar haircut" Mike countered. I looked away from Daniel just to shoot him a withering glare. I really did like Daniel's haircut... It was sensible and neat, just like him. Daniel just shook his head and smiled brightly, and I knew that if I wasn't being filmed, I would have fainted. He then said "So what? My hair has nothing to do with the fact that I could take your title if I had the opportunity... And when that happens, the cover of WWE Magazine might look a little something like this...", trailing off purposefully as he gestured to the Titantron. A picture of Mike in the LeBell lock appeared on the screen, accompanied by a caption that read "Miz Taps".

Daniel and my brother bantered back and forth for a while until Daniel seemingly lost patience and grabbed his microphone. "So, how about it? You versus me for your US title at Night of Champions? Are we on?" he cried out in an impassioned tone. Mike blinked a few times and stalled for a moment before shouting back "Oh it's on, nerd boy!"

After that, I let go of Daniel just before Mike immediately tried to nail him with a cheap shot, but he completely avoided it and grounded my brother with the LeBell lock. He was completely trapped until Alex ducked down and pulled Daniel away. Daniel jist snorted impatiently and shoved Alex backwards, sending my big brother tumbling out to the floor. I looked down shyly and gave my best "Holy shit!" scream as I saw Daniel then trapping Alex with the same move he'd just used on my brother.

Mike, of course, could do nothing other than watch as this scene unfolded before his eyes. Alex was tapping out like crazy, and I was now standing in the corner, looking shocked and not doing a thing about it, just as I was meant to. I let out a deep sigh of relief when Daniel finally let go of Alex, as I could see the strained facial expression he had long since worn. Alex rolled right out of the ring while Daniel looked at Mike's magazine cover thoughtfully. After pausing to showcase another winning smile, he kicked the cover off its stand.

I immediately fled the ring, reaching for Alex and Mike's hands so we could escape up the ramp together. While we were srill in sight, my brother yelled at me about how I "wasn't supposed to say that" and how I'd "ruined his presentation", as the cameras focused on us. After I blew a kiss to Daniel as per my script, we walked behind the curtain, Mike immediately apologising for being maybe a little too scary. I shrugged it off because I knew it was scripted, and besides, if I admitted anything I really felt, then he'd never shut up.

* * *

In a while, Alex and I retired to our respective hotel rooms after eating dinner together. He tried not to talk about Daniel too much, which had been a relief as I didn't trust him not to report anything of interest back to Mike. Once I was in the room I was sharing with Mike and Maryse, I curled up in my rather comfortable single bed and was about to grab my book when I heard my phone vibrating, indicating I'd received a text. It read:

"_Hey Belle, great job in your match. What are you up to now?_"

_Awwwwww!_ I thought. It had been a losing effort, but he saw the good about it and that was positively heart-warming. I replied:

"_Thanks Daniel :D Btw i really do like ur haircut ^.^_"

As soon as I sent that message, I was nervous. It was a lame attempt at flirting, and I doubted he'd acknowledge it; there was no way he liked me as much as I liked him. So I was surprised when he replied:

"_Aww, thanks Belle! I really like your haircut too, the purple streak rocks!_"

"YEEEEESSSS!" I shouted joyously, seeing as I was still alone. Daniel liked my hair! I would definitely have to tell Eve about this at our photoshoot tomorrow morning. I wanted to tell Maryse too, but I wasn't too sure if that was a good idea. I shrugged off the thought as Daniel and I kept texting, the conversation going as follows:

_**Belle:** Thank u so much! Haha sorry I didn't answer ur question before... I was about 2 read a book when I got ur msg._

_**Daniel:** Sorry I interrupted :/ What were you going to read?_

_**Belle:** I'm re-reading the 3rd Harry Potter book, i love that series :)_

_**Daniel:** Cool, I love it too! Have you seen all the movies?_

_**Belle:** HELL YES! they're amazing!_

_**Daniel:** That's great, we should watch them during our road trip :)_

_**Belle:** That's such a great idea, OMG u know what else we should do?_

_**Daniel:** I don't know, what?_

_**Belle:** Either go out to a karaoke bar or sing along to our iPods all night at least once xD_

_**Daniel:** Great idea... I bet you have a voice as beautiful as you._

_**Belle:** Nawww, ur too kind D :) Cant wait to see u nxt week!_

_**Daniel:** Me too... I should probably let you sleep, you must be twice as tired as me :/_

_**Belle:** Thanx Daniel, not gonna lie, I am kinda tired :p sleep well, see u soon :) x_

After that, I rolled onto my other side, letting out a loud yawn. Mike and Maryse walked in just as I cuddled up to my pillow, and part of me wished they'd leave so I could call Daniel. I would have run over to Eve's room, but I didn't even know her room number and was too tired to text her and ask. I waved to Mike and Maryse sleepily, only uttering a mumbled "Goodnight". Just before I surrendered to my fatigue, my phone vibrated once more, and I saw a message from Daniel that read:

"_Goodnight, Beautiful B, i hope you sleep well and enjoy your shoot tomorrow :D_"

_He really is amazing..._ I thought to myself. Now I couldn't wait for our road trip, because I hoped to show him then what he really meant to me.

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**[[A/N: Hey guys, I know this chapter was really long, hope that didn't bother anyone *grins* I may write part of the next chapter from Mike's POV, hope you'll enjoy it if it happens. And btw, "non dimenticare!" is an Italian phrase, not French, so it'll be in the italian translations list on my Weebly, everything else was in French :P**

**Please feel free to check out my other story too, and don't forget to review (L)...]]**


	10. Hand Me A Fucking Bucket!

**[[A/N: Thanks to _Miss-RKO, luneara eclipse _and_ KatieKazaMizAwesome_. ily all, enjoy this chapter... I hope it sheds some insight on what Mike thinks. and btw, "ta mere" is French for "your mother"...]]**

**[[EDIT: Had to make an edit to the date mentioned below, partly for my own sanity as I needed to refer to it while creating the Polyvore set for Belle's outfit in this chapter.]]**

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**| MIKE POV | 13th September 2010 |**

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Homecoming shows were the ones every wrestler looked forward to the most. To revisit the most familiar sights of all, to be able to visit the house you grew up in, to catch up with the people you loved the most... There really was nothing like it, especially when you'd been looking forward to it for so long - and I certainly had. I'd even flown in a few days earlier with my younger sister Belle and my beloved girlfriend Maryse, just so we could visit my parent's house and become one extended happy family for a little while.

The ideas of 'family' and 'home' were, without a doubt, two of the things I held most dear. I'd travelled to so many places and had so many crazy experiences, and during those times I'd learned that the best way to avoid insanity was to remember your goals, where you came from and who helped you to achieve those goals.

Although sometimes, I felt convinced that my sister didn't share the same ideals as we once had. I felt sure she was interested in Daniel despite everything she'd told me... or at the very least, she was so concerned with getting to know him that she was forgetting her goals. I knew that she wanted to be the best she could be, and it was disappointing that she seemed to pay him more attention now. I disliked him completely and I just didn't understand why she'd waste her time in that loser's company.

"Mike, darling? _Ta mère_ says lunch iz ready..." Maryse called out from the kitchen, disrupting my train of thought momentarily - though I knew I'd return to it soon enough. I wasn't done mulling over the reasons for my deep-seated dislike of Daniel, not even by a long shot. Shaking my head, I inhaled deeply and smiled. My mother had made one of her specialties; tuna pasta bake. I walked into the kitchen and hugged Maryse tightly, kissing her lips softly as my mother was present. I then let go and went over to hug my mother. "Love youuuu, Mom!" I sang, laughing as she swatted me away and said "Love you too, son".

"Heeeeeey, guys, what's up?" Belle chirped, rather suddenly at that; i hadn't heard her coming. She looked over our mother's shoulder and grinned, evidently pleased with our lunch for today. I saw her texting on her iPhone and tried to ask her who she was talking to, but she was too busy giggling to herself to bother answering. I grumbled quietly as I turned on my heel and walked into the backyard, only returning to the kitchen once lunch was ready. When we all sat down, I glared at Belle slightly, whispering to her that she'd better not be texting through lunch. She nodded, sending one last text before stuffing her phone back into her pocket. _She had better not be texting Daniel..._ I thought to myself, frowning deeply as I pulled my chair in further and began to eat. _I hate that scrawny little rat! He doesn't even deserve to talk to her, she's WAY too good for him..._

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**| AT THE ARENA |**

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"Belle, where the hell did you get that?" I asked my sister, as we waited in the gorilla position with Alex. She was currently wearing a garish plastic purple tiara, which really didn't look good with her Cincinnati Bengals jersey and orange tights, and I took an instant dislike to it. She just shrugged and said "I'm the homecoming queen, Mike, just chill...", rolling her eyes and fiddling with her phone before turning it off and putting it in her pocket.

Just as my entrance theme began to play, I reminded myself to take a deep breath and "chill", just as Belle had said to. It was time for myself, my sister and Alex to go down to the ring, which we'd all really been looking forward to. We had a segment with Chad Ochocinco which would lead to matches with Daniel for both myself and Alex, and I was definitely looking forward to being allowed to beat the little twerp. As we walked through the curtain, Belle whispered "Sorry...", to which I just nodded in acknowledgment. I couldn't say anything to her now, as I had to concentrate on my mental script.

As i entered the ring, I took the microphone from Justin, signaling him to step out of the ring. "Welcome to Monday Night Raw, Chad..." I drawled lazily, looking at him with well-feigned contempt. I went on to say "You know, we actually have a lot in common, i mean... We're both reality show stars, and we say whatever we feel like, because we can!", earning a few boos from the audience and a loud cheer from Michael Cole. After shrugging lightly and shaking my head, I shook my head and said "Actually, let me take that back... Ochocinco, we have _nothing_ in common, because I am something that you're not... a champion!". I then turned to look at Belle and Alex; the former had her arms folded across her chest with a frown on her face, whereas the latter was smiling and nodding eagerly.

"Hold up Miz, I gotta correct you now" Chad replied, smirking. "The thing is, the Bengals were the AFC North Champions last year... And do you wanna know something else? Me, my boy TO and the rest of the Bengals are gonna win the Superbowl next year! Oh yeah!" he shouted, earning a sizable pop from the audience, who were already eating this up.

"Chad, shut up!" I shouted right back, pausing to readjust my title belt and roll my eyes at him. "If I recall correctly, you and your boy Terrell both left before the end of the half, and were actually tweeting in the locker-room whilst your team tried for a Hail Mary! That is pathetic... No, wait, YOU are pathetic!". After I'd gotten all that out, I took another deep breath and looked over my shoulder. Belle had unfolded her arms, revealing the number 85 on her jersey - Chad's number. She really had planned her outfit well. "See that number 85 on my sister's jersey? I think it represents the amount of good passes you're gonna miss this year... Oh wait, I've got a better one! Maybe it represents the fact that Carson Palmer moves like an 85 year old! How do you like THAT, Ochostinko?" I crowed heelishly, taunting the crowd as I held out both my arms.

After an alert sound played, Michael Cole walked up to his podium and announced "If you two could please be quiet for a moment, it's time to determine The Miz's match for tonight. Shall we spin the wheel?", as the Titantron showed the RAW Roulette wheel backstage. Alicia Fox spun the wheel and as soon as it stopped, Belle smiled mysteriously towards me. "A submission match" he stated. I glared at the screen, burying my head in my hands as expected. Before Cole could even leave his podium, he received another email and proceeded to tell us that Chad was to determine my opponent. The crowd made various noises of shock and awe, as my jaw dropped to reflect those very emotions.

As I walked into the corner where Belle and Alex had been waiting for me, I folded my arms across my chest as Chad began to speak. "Oh, that's simple... The thing is, the number 85 actually represents the number of different ways in which your opponent could make you tap out..." he explained, pausing to smile at the crowd as they gravitated to the edges of their seats in anticipation. "Who's better for you to fight in a submission match than my boy, Daniel Bryaaannnnnn!"

"WHAT?" I bellowed into my microphone, dropping it and glaring at Chad once Daniel's entrance theme began to play. He made his way to the ring and reached for Belle's hand once he was inside, hugging her briefly before she climbed out with Alex. Now I knew it was scripted, but still... I just hated seeing my sister being all friendly with that tool. It went against everything I felt not to snatch her away from him. But it was time to wrestle now, and that was what I would do.

After a few minutes of taunting and punching during the commercial break, we were back on air. Daniel had herded me into the corner, continuously kicking me in the stomach. After he'd had enough of that, he went to the opposite corner and ran back, trying to deliver a running knee before I ducked just in time. His shoulder crashed into the ringpost and I smiled. This match had been agonizing to plan as I'd had to do so in Daniel's company, and I was thankful for the moments like this where he would be in pain, even slightly. I decided to lock him up on the second rope, standing back for a moment as I took a deep breath, then locked on a figure four which he reversed fairly quickly. He then pulled me into the LeBell lock, pulling my head upwards with all his might until I had to get out of his grip and escape the ring.

As the cameras focused in on us, Alex grabbed my shoulders and began shouting "Come on Miz! Get back in the ring!". I wished my script were different, wanting nothing more than to get my hands on Daniel and torture him some more in front of the fans, but I had to do otherwise. I began clutching my stomach and whining theatrically, announcing that I was pulling out of the match due to an injury as soon as I had a mic in my hand. I frowned as Justin tried to announce it as a victory on Daniel's part, immediately interrupting and explaining that it was only due to injury, so Daniel could still face "my apprentice, Alex Riley". He immediately climbed into the ring, and Belle pushed me away as she jumped up onto the ring apron, screaming and begging Alex not to fight him. _She better just be good at acting..._ I thought to myself, huffing quietly as the match began.

Alex immediately sauntered over and punched Daniel in the cheek, causing his head to veer to the side. "Alex! No more!" my sister cried, shaking the ropes. I shook my head and edged closer to her, while Alex went for his overhead Boston Crab lock. I hated that Daniel had to reverse it, but he did. Alex promptly tapped out, and Belle jumped into the ring as soon as the referee raised Daniel's hand and Justin announced him the winner. She immediately hugged him and kissed his cheek; and even though this was scripted, I was still seeing red. I hated this part of the storyline, absolutely hated it with a passion... But the fans reacted to it, so it had to be done.

_As does this..._ I thought to myself, running through the ring and proceeding to give Daniel a hellacious beat-down. After curb-stomping his head, I laid down my US title, shoved his face into it and yelled "You're not getting this Daniel! You'll never be the United States Champion!". Then I lofted him up from the mat and set him up for my Skull Crushing Finale. However, he completely reversed the situation and put me in the LeBell lock. I began tapping out like crazy on top of my belt, glaring rather legitimately. The commentators were going crazy, yelling about how my US Title would be on the line at the Night of Champions pay-per-view this Sunday.

Belle had long since backed herself into the corner. I approached her slowly once Daniel had let go of me, and tried to order her out of the ring. Obviously she didn't listen, walking to Daniel's side instead. In that one moment, they looked so much like a couple that it made me sick. She smiled at him and it looked so genuine, so real, that I had to roll out of the ring before I said anything unscripted, no matter how badly I wanted to. Alex followed me out from the ring as Belle and Daniel stood there holding hands in the middle of the ring, looking every bit like love-struck teenagers. Now I honestly didn't know whether they were meant to do that or not, but once again, they looked every bit as convincing as they needed to.

The last thing I heard before ducking behind the curtain was King asking "Apart from the obvious hand-holding in the middle of the ring, what I wanna know about is why Belle's wearing a tiara!", followed by his letting out a hearty laugh. Cole replied "Duuuuuh King, she's the homecoming queen... Though she's got terrible taste in men... But she'll learn better soon enough when Miz destroys that nerd Daniel Bryan on Sunday night!"

"Hand me a fucking bucket!" I snarled once Alex and I were out of sight. Of course I was being sarcastic, though I did feel a slight urge to empty my stomach all over the floor. I couldn't bear to see my sister holding hands with that goof, and if I was to ever find out they had something going on, I would be completely, indescribably angry. Disgusted. Disappointed. Horrified. Daniel was nothing more than a cocky, ignorant, boring, stupid loser. My sister could never date someone like him, I couldn't allow it.

Just over an hour later, long enough after Maryse's segment for us to go out, I went walking to the Divas locker room to talk to my sister before leaving with Maryse. Upon hearing a rather chirpy, excited tone echoing from within, I froze and stood outside the door, as silent as a ninja. The voice belonged to my sister, and I instinctively knew that there couldn't be anybody else with her, as she disliked talking loudly on the phone before others - she felt it was rude. At the sound of the name "Daniel", I almost fainted. She was talking to that second-rate loser, and I wanted to know why so I stayed exactly where I was.

"I packed some of the DVDs we talked about... Oh, and I found out about these super-delicious chips you'd like, I'll try and find some once we get to Vegas" Belle chirped excitedly. Why was she talking about DVDs and going to Vegas with Daniel? Were they planning to get hitched there? I doubted it, but I knew that he lived there and that really pissed me off. Why the fuck would she agree to go home with him? This was so fucked! _Shut up Mike!_ I told myself mentally, remembering that I needed to concentrate on the conversation I was eavesdropping on. My sister was silent for a moment, presumably as Daniel responded, and then laughed softly. "Oh that's no problem, we have plenty of time apart from that... I have one before lunch tomorrow anyway, and others might pop up during the week... Considering there's a huge show coming up" she said. I knew she was referring to her own interview for , so I assumed Daniel had one later in the week. There was another silence, and then I almost punched the wall in anger.

"I'm SO excited, this is going to be the coolest road-trip ever! I'll meet you at the restaurant just before twelve, alright?" she babbled girlishly, saying goodbye and then hanging up. I bolted about a hundred meters down the hallway so she wouldn't find me, and then pulled out my phone.

"_Hey babe, I'm just about ready for dinner now. Gotta take care of something though, I'll be outside in 15. Love you!_" I texted Maryse, stuffing my phone back into my pocket and skulking down the maze of hallways until I found Vince's office. If anyone could put a stop to this, he definitely could. As soon I saw the door, I barged right in, not even caring if I pissed him off. I didn't care about much else right now apart from stopping that road-trip.

"Vince!" I shouted, slamming the door behind me. I noticed him muttering something into his phone and then hanging up, putting the phone down on the desk. "Mike, what is it?" he replied, his annoyance seeping into every word. He was mad at my disturbance - and rightly so - but i still didn't care. "Dod you know about this?" I shouted.

"Know about what?" he replied, raising a suspicious eyebrow at me. I immediately dropped down into an empty chair, holding back the urge to let out a lengthy string of curse words. "My sister and that idiot Daniel are going on a road-trip together... He's taking her to Vegas, and God knows where else they're going" I moaned, my hands curling up into tight fists around the chair's armrests.

Vince was silent for a moment, shaking his head as he looked at me in disbelief. "Mike... As a matter of fact, I did..." he replied, shocking the utter hell out of me. This road-trip was Vince's idea? But why? I asked him this, and he laughed heartily.

"Well, you already know what's going to take place on Sunday night..." he started. _Don't remind me..._ I thought to myself, laughing bitterly. I wasn't overly upset about dropping the title - not even to Daniel - as it was just part of the business, but knowing what was going to happen between him and Belle... I didn't want to have to see it, for fear it would translate to real-life. "I thought it might be a good idea for Daniel and Belinda to spend a few solid days together, in order to make them look more real and convincing, and possibly film a short segment to use on Sunday night before your match" he said.

I sucked in a deep breath. _Ugh..._ I thought, grimacing awkwardly. I hated this idea - in fact it was one of the worst I'd ever heard. But I had to admit he had a point. Vince had come up with this storyline because he thought the fans would get into it, and if people saw them traveling together, they'd get talking. And what did talking create? Excitement and curiosity. That was what sold tickets and kept people watching our shows.

"Okay, I understand... But you should know that I'm not happy about this at all. I just hope you know that if anything bad happens to her, I will be holding you _both_ responsible" I said, trying not to raise my voice - that wouldn't help anything. I just couldn't shake the sense of foreboding I had about their road-trip.

"Yes, yes, I know... Now, if you don't mind..." Vince rambled hastily. I took that as my cue to leave, checking my phone to see a message from Maryse in response to the one I sent earlier. My lips stretched into a paper-thin smile as I walked out of the building, gritting my teeth as I went.

Fucking Vince, fucking Daniel... I felt like the whole world was against me wanting someone better for my sister. But I was resigned to this cruel twist of fate now. Daniel and Belle would be traveling together until Night of Champions, and there was nothing I could do about it.

* * *

**[[A/N: So the million dollar question is: Will Mike ever find out that Vince was lying? What will happen during the road trip and at Night of Champions? All those answers will be revealed in the next few chapters! Yay :D **

**Feel free to take a look at my other stuff, and please review so I know what you thought, what you think might happen, anything! xD Toodles xoxo]]**


	11. Never Been Kissed By You

**[[A/N: Thanks to _luneara eclipse _and_ WhitneySheree _for reviewing... Much love! A special shoutout goes to _luneara eclipse_ for her suggestion, thanks heaps - you totes inspired this chappy with your suggestion a while back =D this chapter is a long one, couldn't be avoided... So go ahead and enjoy, darling readers!]]**

* * *

**+ | BELLE'S POV | +**

* * *

"This is going to be sooooo much fun!" I squealed happily, rubbing my tummy as I curled up in the front seat of Daniel's rental car. And I meant that explicitly - I was as pleased as anything to finally get to spend time with Daniel without the cameras watching us. As a last-minute decision, we'd been filmed for half of our lunch; the footage taken was to be used during Night of Champions to deliberately antagonize Mike before their match. I had to admit it was a good idea and considering what was to happen the Monday night following, it fit perfectly.

"Oh hey, there's a Seven-Eleven coming up, do you wanna stop there?" Daniel asked suddenly. I told him this would be perfect and as soon as we were closer, he parked the car. Once we were inside, I looked for some of the vegan-friendly snacks I'd researched, and bought those as well as some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and two bottles of water. I personally would have preferred Coke but I didn't know if Daniel liked it yet and besides, drinking water certainly never hurt anyone.

Daniel beat me back to the car, leaving me amazed at how he'd managed to get in and out of the store so quickly. I saw him holding a magazine definitely not intended for men and raised my eyebrow. "What's that for?" I asked, eyeing him curiously. He smiled shyly at me and said "I heard you like magazines, so I thought you might want this to read on the plane", handing it over.

I turned the magazine around so I could see the cover properly, and grinned. "Who told you I read Cosmopolitan magazine? It's my favourite," I murmured. "Eve told me... I, um, I asked her yesterday because I wasn't sure which magazines you liked" he replied. Already I could feel my heart soaring. Why did Mike hate him so much? He was so thoughtful and considerate that I found myself falling just that little bit harder for him.

The rest of our drive to the airport passed by in a comfortable, companionable silence. As soon as we arrived, Daniel returned the car to the rental facility, taking my hand as we walked out. I wasn't sure if he did this for the benefit of our on-screen storyline or because he truly wanted to, but nonetheless it sent delighted shivers running down my spine. I was beyond happy to be in this airport right now, but this time it wasn't because of the memories it held - it was because it felt almost symbolic. I was leaving with Daniel, not Mike and Maryse, and I sincerely hoped it wouldn't be the last time. "_Shut up Belle!" _I told myself, rolling my eyes. Daniel looked at me as if he suspected what I'd mumbled, and I faked a cough to distract him. He pulled a familiar kind of envelope from his pocket and I punched his arm playfully.

"Daniel, please don't tell me you paid for both of those tickets!" I whined playfully as I hugged him, though the gesture thrilled me, almost sending my brain into pure overdrive. Why would he do something so expensive for me if he didn't care about me in some way? He smiled bashfully and I had to fight back the sudden urge to kiss him. "It was my idea, I wanted it to be my treat... It's no big deal, honestly" he whispered, his cool breath tickling my throat as he spoke. "Fair enough, I guess... But I'm gonna get you back real soon, just you wait and see" I sang mysteriously, pulling out of the hug and grinning as I spotted an airport map and promptly dragged Daniel over to it.

We then made our way to the check-in area, waiting patiently until it was our turn. For once, waiting in an airport wasn't boring like usual; any amount of time with Daniel felt like a gift from God, and this was no exception. Once our flight was called, we got our suitcases weighed in and then waited with all the other passengers. Out of nowhere, I leaned in and kissed Daniel's cheek, causing a small child behind me to ask his mother "Mommy, why did that lady kiss that man? Does she love him?" I turned bright red while Daniel appeared not to notice. "_Whoa..._" I thought to myself; that child had really got me thinking. I didn't know if what I felt for Daniel was love yet, but it was so close it might as well be. I adored and wanted to be there for him. I wanted to be the one that helped him feel better when he was hurt. I wanted to know everything there was to know about him. And by going on this trip, I hoped to learn a great deal.

* * *

"So what's your favourite colour?" I asked Daniel, once we'd been in the air for about an hour. We'd both eaten the lunches provided on the flight even though we'd already had some, and I'd opted to read my magazine during that time, but now I wanted to talk. He turned to face me and replied "Red, what about you?" I smiled brightly, playing with my hair as I told him my favourite colour was lavender.

"Makes sense, I always wondered why you had a lavender streak in your hair... It really suits you, by the way" he stated. I'd always thought so, and it felt even better to hear him say it. I'd heard this from Sheamus and Santino already, but coming from Daniel, it made my heart swell with pride. I wriggled closer to him - as much as the armrest in between us would allow - and rested my head on his shoulder. I would only move when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket, indicating I'd just received a text message - or two in this case. One was from Mike, asking me to call him. The other was from Eve, and it said "_Sup chica? You in the air yet? Tell Daniel I said hi :)"._ I laughed, and held my phone in front of Daniel's face so he could see the message.

He leaned in and whispered "Return the greeting whenever you reply", letting out a soft sigh. I replied to the text with a simple "_Been in the air for about an hour. Daniel says hi too :)". _Then I promptly deleted Mike's text message, murmuring quietly to myself about ignoring him. I didn't really care for what he'd have to say now - I had a feeling that whatever it was, I wouldn't want to hear it.

"Wow, who are you ignoring?" Daniel teased, nudging me gently as I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. I raised my eyebrow furtively and whispered "My brother". Daniel let out an uncomfortable sigh, which I copied. As my shoulders slumped noticeably enough for Daniel to worry, he took my hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it softly before resting his forehead against mine. "I don't mind whether you talk to him this week or if you don't, as long as whatever you choose is chosen on your own terms and it makes _you_ happy... Don't think about me," he whispered tenderly. I sighed. How could I not? We were all caught up in this strange set of dynamics. I wanted time apart from the strangeness, time to just be with Daniel in freedom without Mike's opinions hanging over my head like an almighty wrecking ball. But I was happy, despite my worry. My decision not to speak to Mike until Sunday - if I could avoid it - was made on my own terms. I didn't want him getting in the way of my time with Daniel.

I told him this and he smiled, appearing to seem rather flattered. This was definitely a good thing. "Just you and me, for now?" he whispered hopefully, his lips pressing against my right cheek. I felt the area he kissed burning red-hot and I only blushed more, wondering if he was able to feel it. "Yes, just you and me" I whispered, once again resting my head on his shoulder. Those four words strung together made, without a doubt, the sweetest phrase I'd ever heard.

* * *

"Nice place you got here, Daniel" I commented happily, covering my mouth soon after to stifle a soft yawn. The flight from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport to McCarran International Airport, which was just out of Vegas had taken less than four hours - three hours and twenty two minutes exactly - but planes always took away my energy, even on short trips. So I was definitely glad to be solid ground where I could sit down and relax without the fear of being left behind. It was approximately 6:15pm now, and it made me subconsciously start thinking about dinner.

"Thanks... I'm real proud of it" Daniel admitted. I smiled, linking arms with him as I stared through one of the front windows, wondering what it looked like inside. He saw me looking and led me to the front door, pausing long enough to unlock the front door and hold it open for me. I stepped over the threshold, taking a deep breath and smiling happily. From where I stood, I could see through the corridor to the kitchen, which had a massive window over the kitchen sink. I dropped my bag, let go of my suitcase and skipped into the kitchen, sighing contentedly as I bathed in a few stray remnants of the sunset streaming through. "Seriously, you have the best kitchen!" I exclaimed, stepping forward as Daniel approached me. "Are you hungry?" he asked. After letting out a soft giggle, I nodded eagerly.

He ended up making us a delicious vegetable stir-fry that we served on a bed of rice, topped with a generous helping of soy sauce. I insisted on chopping the vegetables as he left the rice cooking and fried the vegetables, as I didn't want to be the "lazy houseguest". We sat together at the kitchen table, laughing hysterically as he tried teaching me how to use a pair of chopsticks - which I had tried before, but it was a skill I had failed to become proficient in. After our wonderful dinner, we moved into his living room for the next few hours, watching the first two Harry Potter movies on my laptop, my head resting on his shoulder as we sat together on his couch. _This is just perfect..._ I thought to myself. Which was a bit of an understatement, really - it was everything I hoped to experience over and over again as the months passed.

Just as the credits of "Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets" had finished rolling, I let out a very loud and unexpected yawn, which was a source of immediate embarrassment. "Daniel, I am soooo sorry!" I squealed, immediately burying my face into his muscled shoulder. Without even thinking, I took in a deep breath and smiled lazily as his scent invaded my waiting nostrils. "Don't be" he replied simply, playing with my hair as I felt even more distracted. He wasn't wearing cologne, not that I could notice, but it wouldn't have mattered. I didn't know how to describe it, but he had a very pleasant scent about him; the very kind that made me sigh dreamily upon inhalation. "But it's too early to fall asleeeeep..." I whined. Which it was, in a way; it was too early for _me_... I was Daniel's guest and I didn't want to go to sleep before him – I felt that it would be rude of me to do so.

"I think you should go to sleep, Belle, you're obviously really tired. If you're worried about me, don't be... I'm going to sleep now anyway" he replied. That was a relief; I didn't have to feel bad now. I stood up slowly, pulling him up with me then switching off my laptop and putting it back in my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. Before I could argue, he picked up my suitcase and carried it upstairs, as I trailed behind him. After passing by a few doors, he stopped at one and pushed it open, revealing a room painted almost entirely in white, complete with thick white curtains hanging over the window. There was a double bed in the corner of the four-poster variety, with red curtains that were in stark contrast to the black bedspread and pillowcases. I dropped my bag neatly as Daniel explained, "I thought you'd like this room more because of the bigger window". Smiling shyly, I hugged him and replied, "That's very thoughtful, thank you..." burying my face into his neck and inhaling deeply. He hugged me tightly for a few minutes, kissing my cheek and saying goodnight before retiring to his own bedroom, just down the hall.

I closed the door now, letting out an almost earsplitting yawn, marveling at the amount of time I'd been able to hold it in for. After heaving my bag up onto the bed, I pulled out a pair of pyjamas that were white in colour, with strawberries all over them. I tied up my hair into a messy ponytail and opened the curtains just a tiny bit, then climbed into bed and fell asleep within minutes. I had a few different dreams that night, but they all shared one commonality; Daniel played the leading man... Which I certainly didn't mind.

* * *

The next day, midday would find us just finishing our lunches - we'd made ourselves massive salad sandwiches. After I'd insisted on helping him wash up our used plates and cutlery, I grabbed my purse while he ran upstairs, coming back once he'd changed into a red shirt with faded text, and black shorts that reached his knees. It was a simple enough outfit but he looked a million dollars, and he certainly had me weak at the knees. "You ready?" he asked, his hand finding mine as I stared hopelessly at his lips. My heart was beating wildly and I knew that I wouldn't be able to last the rest of the week without finding myself a chance to kiss him and tell him how I felt.

"Y-yes..." I coughed, looking down and then towards the front door. He wrapped his arm around my waist and I swore I could feel my heart skipping a few beats. We made our way out to the car and once we had gotten on the road, we were at the mall in five minutes. Our first port of call was Daniel's favourite vegan cafe, where we got two strawberry milkshakes to go. Once we had ambled through the mall and found a bench to sit on, he gave me a massive smile. "I had a look at some of the DVDs you left stacked on top of the bookshelf and..." he started. I nodded slowly, suppressing a giggle as I nudged him, urging him to continue. "I wanted to know if you'd be interested in watching _Never Been Kissed_ with me tonight... I'd like to make you dinner as well" he added, smiling bashfully.

"Daniel... Are you asking me out on a date?" I blurted out, feeling my face heating up at once. I couldn't believe I'd just asked him that... but I had. The question had obviously paid off as he responded by saying "Yeah... I am". _Holy crap! He just asked me out! DANIEL JUST ASKED ME OUT!_ I heard an excited voice inside my head squealing. I could barely believe it, but it was for real.

We sat there in silence for a few moments, all cuddled up together on the bench as we drank our milkshakes, until Daniel straightened up slightly. "Do you have anything you need to do?" he asked quietly. I shrugged at first, wondering why he asked, until an idea came to mind. I couldn't remember all of the clothes I'd packed, and if tonight was going to be a date, I wanted to dress to impress. "Umm yeah, I wanted to go find something to wear on Monday night" I half-lied, as I wasn't sure about doubling up yet - it would depend on what I found. He nodded and said, "That works out great, I have to go find something as well..." I wondered what it was but figured it didn't concern me, so I didn't ask.

He then stood up, pulling me into a bear hug and kissing my cheek. As soon as he set me down, I tugged on the hem of my shirt so I wouldn't look a mess, and rested my forehead against his. I smiled and said "Meet you back here in an hour?" to which he agreed. I bit my lip, smiled and walked away in search of the perfect outfit.

The store I chose to walk into wasn't a major department store, but it was playing music and was brightly lit, giving me a positive vibe. A saleswoman approached me and asked if I needed help, to which I responded, "Yes... I have a first date with a guy I really like tonight, and I'm aiming to impress". She nodded knowingly and led me to a rack of dresses at the back of the store. I started flicking through them and squealed excitedly as I found it. It was a pink and black one-shoulder dress that had an almost zigzag-like pattern. I pulled out the size I needed and held it against my body, admiring it in the mirror. The saleswoman grinned and said "Whoever that boy is, he's gonna plotz when he sees you in that!". I just hoped she was right - I really wanted him to think I looked good.

After trying it in, I continued inspecting the store until I found the perfect pair of heels and a pretty pink bangle to match the dress. The same saleswoman rung up my purchases and placed them in a purple bag for me, and I waved goodbye as I left the store. I could breathe easy now: I already had a nice strapless black bra and matching undies to go underneath. Not that he was going to see them - I wasn't quite prepared for _that_ level of intimacy yet - but wearing nice underwear as well as a pretty dress on an important occasion always made me feel comfortable and confident. And I was almost completely confident that tonight would be everything I hoped for.

* * *

As I walked downstairs, I was greeted with just one word at first. "Whoa..." Daniel said quietly, smiling approvingly. He reached for my hand and I sighed dreamily, leaning in and hugging him tightly before noticing what he was wearing. It was an outfit similar to what he'd worn on the episode of NXT where he'd cut an epic promo about his elimination - this time with a vest replacing the sweater - and I loved it.

"You like my outfit?" I squeaked, looking down at my matching shoes. "I love it Belle, you look absolutely stunning" he whispered, kissing my cheek. I giggled, one eyebrow raising as I took a deep breath, immediately smelling something I hadn't expected to for the whole week. "If you don't mind me asking, what did you make for dinner?" I asked quietly, leaning into Daniel as I stepped through the hallway. Daniel followed me, looking almost sheepish now. "I made us both my special vegetable noodle soup... Yours has chicken in it as well" he said, confirming my guess. "Daniel, why? You didn't have to cook meat for me, I know you don't eat it and I'm okay with that" I whispered.

"I could tell you didn't mind, but I wanted to anyway... I just wanted you to feel comfortable here" he explained, making my heart melt. I went to kiss his cheek, then thought better of it due to my bright pink lipstick. He laughed and cupped my chin, bringing my lips to his cheek, pretty much telling me he didn't mind having my lipstick all over it.

After he'd served out the soup and we sat down at the table, we indulged in a playful game of footsie underneath the table. I almost dropped my spoon a few times, relieved that it never properly happened - that'd be a little too much embarrassment, as it would no doubt mean me spilling food on myself. Our dinner was absolutely delicious, and through his cooking Daniel endeared himself to me just that little bit more. I badly wanted to help him wash up once we'd finished eating, but he wouldn't have a bar of it. I shrugged and strolled into the living room, sitting down on the couch and waiting for Daniel. There was a projector screen directly in front of me, the main menu of the DVD perfectly centered on it. Just a few minutes later, Daniel joined me on the couch, his arms around my waist yet again as he started the movie. I sighed happily and edged closer to him, my hips bumping against his as my head found a perfect resting place on his shoulder.

As soon as I saw Drew Barrymore's character Josie on the screen for the first time, I grinned. She had to be one of my favourite actresses, and this was the first movie I'd ever seen with her in it. "You know, her eagerness to become a reporter kinda reminds me of you... You've always worked so hard, and you never gave up on your dream" I whispered shyly after a while, hoping that was an acceptably phrased compliment as I definitely meant it. Daniel kissed my forehead and replied softly "Thanks Belle, it's nice to hear that... Especially from you". I had to wonder just what that meant, but as long as he was happy, that was what mattered most. As it got to the point where Josie was told to go undercover at a high school, I wondered what it would be like if I did the same. I had nothing but pleasant memories of high school - I'd had great friends and hadn't struggled extraordinarily with the workload. I pondered this for a while and turned to Daniel when Josie's brother Rob reminded her of her own experience.

"Tomorrow, can you tell me what high school was like for you?" I asked him, with wide eyes and a curious smile. I really wanted to know and if he was happy to tell me, I would be only too happy to swap stories. "Sure" he replied, smiling back at me. I hoped that smile meant he'd had a pleasant enough time there; I couldn't completely explain why, but I felt I would have been inexplicably angry to hear he'd been bullied, or anything else like that... It probably had something to do with the way my brother treated him, and now obviously always had. Towards Daniel, he was nothing but a narcissistic bully, and I hated that.

I let out a soft sigh once Gibby, Kirsten and Kristen were onscreen - I knew it was just a movie, but I was always shocked at how mean the characters were... I disliked meanness in any way, shape or form and the things they did to her were just awful; which would explain why I'd gotten so upset about Guy hiding Josie's car when I'd first seen the movie. I'd been quite distraught, until Josie had become friends with Aldys - it balanced out all the torment... And what was life without friends, anyway? I was just grateful I'd had enough good friends to get through high school, and that people were generally nice to me... I would never have been able to handle being bullied like what was happening in this movie.

I found it pretty hard to concentrate once it got to the point where Josie met Sam and was becoming interested in him so suddenly... It reminded me of my own feelings and once I started thinking of them, I always found it hard to stop. Knowing that Daniel would notice if I seemed distracted was the only thing that stopped me. Once we saw "The Court", Daniel looked like he was thinking, and I asked "What's on your mind?".

"I just think those kids are so irresponsible; I knew people like that in high school and I never understood them... Although I don't suppose they understood me either" he mused. I smiled and placed a hand on his knee as the movie continued to play, my cheek resting against the fabric of his vest. We stayed silent for a while after that, content in just watching Josie's colleague Anita develop feelings for their boss Gus, Josie reminiscing on her prom, her brother Rob joining the school, and Josie and Sam becoming closer, struggling with their feelings for each other. It was something I could understand; Sam saw Josie as off-limits because he thought she was a student, and I'd felt like Daniel was off-limits because of how much my brother hated his guts. Maybe he was meant to be off-limits to me, but the way I felt about him was too strong to ignore. I knew I couldn't care less now, which was all I needed to know.

As soon as the prom scene started I sat up a little straighter, as it was one of my favourite parts despite some of the not-so-nice parts. Josie's outfit was absolutely gorgeous as I'd always thought, and for a fleeting moment I found myself wondering what it would've been like if Daniel and I could have gone to the same school at the same time. _Maybe we could have gone to prom together..._ I mused, feeling giddy at the thought. When Josie and Sam were dancing together, I noticed Daniel smiling dreamily and I wondered if he was imagining us doing the same - I hoped he was. Of course, his expression changed once as Gibby, Kirsten and Kristen were preparing to dump dog food on Aldys. "Those bitches..." Daniel muttered; at least, that's what I swore I heard. I wasn't sure, as I couldn't recall ever hearing him swear before now. I grinned excitedly as Josie knocked the can away from her friend and spilled it on them instead, Daniel looking even more interested as Josie revealed the truth about herself, made her rather epic speech then fled the room.

There were so many questions I wanted to ask him now, but I knew I had to wait until the end of the movie, which was getting even harder to do. Gripping Daniel's hand tightly, I was surprised by the amount of pressure I was exerting; it was like I was literally holding on to whatever remaining ability to resist that I might still have left. He sighed and looked at me with a confused expression, planting a soft kiss on my shoulder and resting his head there as the whole town learned of Josie's story.

As I finally relaxed my grip on Daniel's hand, I gasped softly. Josie was in the middle of the baseball field and had just dropped her microphone, so the movie was nearly over. As always, I found myself clapping and cheering when Sam finally came and kissed her for the first time - it was an absolutely perfect ending.

As soon as the credits were rolling, Daniel reached for his remote and turned the DVD player off; I'd just noticed it was the kind that it was of the kind that hung from the roof. I smiled shyly and pulled myself away from him, leaning against the back of the couch. "So, how old were you when you had your first kiss?" I asked, as I hadn't really expected him to do so first. "Not long after my seventeenth birthday, actually... It was kinda awkward, but that's just how it goes, right?" he replied, scratching the back of his head and looking down. "same here... I was fifteen, it was with my boyfriend at the time... Pretty typical story, I should tell you later" I told him, clasping my hands together in my lap. Daniel bit down on his lip and I shivered; what was he thinking now?

Less than a minute later, I pulled my kegs up onto the couch, pretty much kneeling next to him as I gave him a one-armed hug, then turned around and half-sat in his lap. "Do you want to know something else?" I asked, closing my heart for a moment as my heart beat with the pace of a marching drum. Daniel immediately said "Yes", which was both scary and a bit of a relief. He hadn't made some excuse to leave me alone yet, fueling me with positivity and hope. "There's still one first kiss I haven't had" I whispered hurriedly, brushing my lips against his cheek and neck. I could almost feel his breath catching in his throat as he gently eased me out of his lap, sitting next to me as close as humanly possible. Normally I would have felt offended, but I soon realised I would be much more comfortable this way. "What's that?" he whispered, placing one hand on my left hip.

"Well, I've never been kissed... by you" I whispered, whining softly as I reached down and slid off my heels. "I see that changing..." he whispered in an unnaturally husky tone that would have seemed scary if it weren't so incredibly sexy. I stared at his lips for a moment, feeling like he was about to say something; I laughed and shook my head. What else was there to say?

Slowly moving my hands to his slightly reddened cheeks, I whimpered quietly as he placed a hand on my right hip as well, feeling my whole body tremble lightly. I couldn't wait anymore; I absolutely _needed_ this. After I closed my eyes, I pulled him closer and pressed my lips to his, kissing him in a desperate yet gentle manner. He tugged on my bottom lip softly and I found myself letting out a soft moan. I'd been kissed by enough guys to know what was good and what wasn't... and this was perfect. It was everything I'd hoped it would be, and more. "Mm-mmm..." I mumbled, deepening the kiss a little until I felt the need for air surfacing within.

"Daniel..." I whispered, not really sure of what else I could say right now. My heart had been racing while we kissed and only now was it calming down. I sucked in a deep breath and squeaked slightly, my hand covering my mouth as soon as possible due to my embarrassment. He laughed and kissed my hand; I moved it out of the way and kissed him on the lips, tugging on his bottom lip like he'd done to me. We kissed for a while longer until he pulled away, kissing my cheek and sighing quietly. "Belle..." he sputtered anxiously, looking into my eyes. "I'm going to ask you something a-and... and if you want to say no then I'll understand, but I need to anyway".

"What is it?" I whispered, leaning in and planting a soft kiss on his lips for encouragement. He smiled and muttered to himself "I feel like a teenager doing this", laughing then taking both of my hands in his. "Belle, I really like you - I don't know if I'll ever be able to explain how much, but you should know that I do - and I wanted to know if... if you'll be my girlfriend?"

_Holy shit..._ - that was the first thing that ran through my mind, as I struggled to drum up the response I wanted to give. Daniel had just asked me to be his girlfriend, and I was in an equally mixed state of shock and bliss. "Daniel, I would love to be your girlfriend!" I replied excitedly, throwing my arms around him rather hurriedly; he followed suit immediately. As we smiled merrily and shared a few chaste kisses like a pair of newly lovestruck teenagers, I felt at peace. All my worries disappeared as soon as our lips continued to meet, and I knew one thing with absolute certainty - where I belonged was right here, with Daniel.

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**[[A/N: First off, if you wanna see what Belle's date outfit looks like, then go here - _www[dot]polyvore[dot]com/cgi/set?id=32288441_**

**Hope you loved this as much as I do! I could feel the tension rising and I hope you did too. If you're wondering what Daniel did at the mall, it's a secret for now - there will be an outtake posted at the appropriate time.**

**Please review if you read this... I know there are people reading without doing so and it kinda shits me. Plus I really wanna know what you thought of this chapter as it was a big one! Toodles xoxo]]**


	12. Until Now

**[[A/N: Thanks to **_**I luv hardy, Miss-RKO, luneara eclipse, WhitneySheree and KatieKazaMizAwesome**_** for reviewing, I loved all your reviews (L) I am so sorry it's taken me over a month to update! I hope you enjoy this chapter!]]**

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**+ BELLE's POV + 16th September, 2010 (Thursday) +**

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The way I felt when I woke up this morning was nothing short of pure ecstasy. Yesterday I'd woken up excited to go on a road trip with Daniel - the one object of my affection - and I'd gone to sleep having just become his girlfriend. There was no way I'd expected that to happen - I wasn't as confident as my brother or Maryse, so it wouldn't have made sense if I had. But here I was - miles away from my brother, in my boyfriend's house. I was properly thrilled - we could have a few more days of just spending time in each other's company, doing whatever we felt like with hardly any interruptions.

Right now we were occupying two wooden deckchairs in Daniel's backyard while sipping from our glasses of orange juice. "Sleep well?" I asked, turning to look at him. He smiled that winning smile of his and I wanted to melt right then and there. "Perfectly, what about you?" he replied. I stopped for a moment to think about the dream I'd had last night... Not that I could remember it very well, but he'd been part of it and that was good enough for me.

"Just great" I responded, sighing happily as I crossed my legs and put my glass back on the little table between us. He did the same and then stood up, leaving me slightly confused at first. I was about to stand up and walk inside when he shook his head and joined me, laying down behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. Resting my head on his shoulder, I made myself comfortable in seconds and blushed when he kissed my cheek. _I don't remember it always being like this..._ I thought to myself, which was not to the discredit of any of my past boyfriends. It was just that there had been nobody before that made me feel as secure, as wanted or as safe as Daniel did.

For a few minutes I just concentrated on breathing and being able to feel Daniel's heartbeat, until I started humming to myself. The humming soon turned into words, and I sang.

"_We'll do it all, everything, on our own... we don't need anything, or anyone..._" I crooned softly, brushing my cheek against Daniel's. I wasn't even aware I'd done it at first, until he continued along with the song.

"_If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me, and just forget the world?_" he sang. After I wriggled around slightly and my body was facing his, I nodded meekly and whispered, "Yes". Which I would do... There was no way I'd ever want to let go of him - figuratively or literally. He was just too special and important. Neither of us made any move to keep going along with the song after that; we were happy enough just laying there, silently reveling in each other's company. I didn't feel any awkwardness in our shared silence, just total inner peace and happiness. This was absolutely perfect.

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"So how about you tell me about high school, hmm?" I asked Daniel as we sat down at his kitchen table. Pausing in between bites of his grilled veggie salad, he nodded and smiled ruefully. As he saw me noticing the look on his face and almost saying something, he shook his head and laughed. "It wasn't all bad, I had a few great friends, but it just ended on an awful note... I really could've done without that" he said quietly. After swallowing a mouthful of my winter vegetable soup, I reached out and placed a hand over his. "What happened, Dan?" I whispered, not sure if he actually wanted to talk about it yet, or if he'd just said he would last night to keep me happy.

"Most of it was pretty good, my teachers were usually really good and I had enough friends to make it bearable... I wasn't the most confident guy around though, I was really awkward around girls and most of them thought I was just a nerd" he explained, shrugging lightly. I put down my spoon again and edged closer, wondering if he would say any more. "I had my first girlfriend when I was seventeen, and I was just so happy. I thought it was going really well so I asked her to our senior prom just before my eighteenth birthday. She said she'd go with me and I was thrilled... Maybe I should've seen it coming; she'd been a bit weird for the week leading up to prom, but I figured she was sick or something. When I went to her house to pick her up... she wasn't even there. I went to prom anyway to catch up with my friends, and apparently she was busy making out with the prom king... I'm just lucky my friends were there, we still managed to have fun" he added. "I'm totally over it now but it put a damper on the end of what was otherwise a great time, ya know?"

I gasped loudly. Whoever that girl was, I already wanted to punch a hole through her head - and I wasn't usually a violent person. She'd obviously hurt Daniel, which he didn't need or deserve. "I'm really sorry that happened" I whispered, pushing my bowl away from the edge of the table and giving him a hug. He rested his head on top of mine and I could feel him taking in a deep breath. "She's also the first girl I ever kissed... I was pretty proud of myself until I realised she didn't like me as much as I first thought. After that I decided to focus on my career, figuring that I'd get it right when I was meant to... Nothing's ever really turned out the way I wanted until now".

At that moment, I sat up just enough so I could look at him, blushing unashamedly as I smiled. I didn't know quite to say but luckily Daniel wasn't offended by my silence. He tucked a lock of my hair behind my left ear and pressed his lips to my temple, sighing happily. "I really, really like you Belle" he whispered in a tone of voice not unlike the one he'd used last night. Placing a gentle hand on his left cheek as he drew back, I replied, "You have no idea how much you mean to me Daniel... I don't want to lose you".

"You don't have to" he replied firmly. I hoped with everything I had that he was telling the truth; the thought of us being torn apart was frightening, very frightening indeed. I hugged him again after I found the will to finish off my lunch, holding on tightly. We stayed together like this for a while; Daniel occasionally stroked my hair, and I smiled dreamily. After we'd gotten up and Daniel had insisted on washing up without my help, he pulled me into a hug from behind, his arms wrapped loosely around my waist to allow me the breathing space I needed.

"I was wondering... if maybe you'd like to have a picnic dinner in the park tonight? If you haven't already been there, I think you'd like the Las Vegas Springs Preserve..." Daniel said, completely out of the blue. I veered to the side, kissing his cheek before replying "I'd really like that... And no, I've never been there". He seemed satisfied with this and after we'd stood there cuddling for a little while longer, I went upstairs to decide on what I would wear later on. My chosen outfit consisted of a purple singlet, skirt, choker and heels. It was nowhere near as fancy as what I'd worn last night, but I had a deep weakness for anything purple (particular in paler versions, like lavender or mauve) and so it made me feel just as confident.

After I'd dug out some coat hangers from the wardrobe in my guestroom, I hung up my outfit carefully and sat at the desk opposite from my bed, switching on my laptop. As soon as I got a working signal from Daniel's wireless Internet connection, I opened Facebook and logged in immediately, chuckling at some of the statuses I saw. I saw that Eve was online and sent her a private message to let her know I was still in Vegas with Daniel, and that I was perfectly safe. After that, I clicked onto Daniel's page and giggled happily at his latest status which said "I have the best girlfriend ever **3**", that I could tell he'd posted last night. There were comments on it from Santino, Eve, Brandon (who I knew as Kaval) and a woman named Sarah, who turned out to be his sister. I was thrilled by her comment - she seemed so enthusiastic and happy about me, even if she didn't know my identity yet.

_At least his sibling isn't a jerk..._ I thought to myself, grumbling quietly and shaking my head to send the thought away. I didn't want to think about Mike; it would only ruin my fun. I went into the area where I could display relationships, laughing at the few friends I'd shown as siblings. Thinking of Daniel, a proud smile crept onto my face as I changed my status to "in a relationship with _**Daniel Bryan**_", sending him a relationship request without a second thought. I wanted everybody to know that I had an amazing boyfriend, and in my ecstatic state I could see no reason why I shouldn't. Right now, I had no idea of the consequences it could lead to... All I could think about was my newfound happiness with Daniel.

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"Dan... This place is beautiful" I gasped suddenly as he led me through a pathway lined with a mass of trees. I could see a clearing ahead of us, and a few splashing sounds let me know that there was water nearby. Normally running water sounded far more relaxing than a few errant splashes, but I was so happy in Daniel's company that almost anything could be considered relaxing. He nodded in agreement and linked arms with me as we kept walking, stopping when we found a small lake that, in its surface, reflected the burnt orange clouds above. It was sunset now and the area was almost entirely silent except for some birds that skimmed over the water's surface - if there were any other people here, they were certainly nowhere near us.

"How about over there?" I interjected in the middle of our comfortable silence. Nudging Daniel gently, I pointed to a space in between two trees that directly overlooked the lake. A few faint rays of light were streaming through the leaves and it was one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen. He nodded in agreement and we walked over, laying out the picnic rug on the bright green grass. Immediately I lay down on my back, crossing my legs demurely after removing my shoes.

"I hope you like the food I packed in here... I didn't really know what to bring, because I wasn't sure how much you'd like the kind of stuff I normally eat... Didn't wanna go too hardcore on you, I guess" Daniel said quietly, peering into the basket as he pulled out two plates and cutlery sets. I sat up, then lifted his chin with one finger and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "What... was that for?" he asked slowly, his eyes meeting mine.

"You're... you're too kind" I stated, somewhat bluntly. "You've already done so much for me like getting the plane tickets, and cooking chicken for me when you don't even have to..."

"I just wanted you to feel as comfortable as possible in my house... All I want to do is to treat you the way you deserve to be treated" he whispered, pressing his lips to my temple softly before handing me my plate and cutlery. He opened up both sides of the basket and I could immediately feel some steam wafting past my nostrils. "What's that?" I asked, picking up a small white cup with a lid on it and smiling as I felt its warmth. He explained that it was miso soup - something I'd never tried before - and that I could pour it into a bowl if I would prefer. After digging a bowl and soup spoon out of the basket, I sat up and slurped my soup carefully, savouring the brand new taste. He drank his straight from the cup like it was a coffee and I grinned, content to watch him as he did so.

After that we ate some sandwiches filled with cucumber and avocado. It was an interesting combination and to my delight, I quite enjoyed it. Daniel mentioned that he'd considered bringing tofu tonight, but that he'd decided against it in the end because "it's not everybody's favourite food... More of an acquired taste, really". I laughed and said "It's just as well, I don't know if I'd be up for it yet... Maybe another time?", ending my question on a hopeful note. I liked to think that we could do this again someday - the possibilities seemed endless now that I had another reason to spend time with Daniel.

While Daniel was finishing off his last sandwich, I lay down on my back again, watching the sky turning a dark blue. Daniel reached into the basket immediately and pulled out a portable lamp, setting it up at the other end of the blanket. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked, pointing to a bottle of apple cider, and a bottle of Coke. I opted for the apple cider and politely took my glass once it was poured, sipping slowly in silence. "Look at the sky... Isn't it beautiful?" I murmured, staring upwards in awe. The first stars of the night were becoming visible, looking like little twinkling dots against the darkening canopy of sky above.

"It is," he agreed, reaching for one of my hands and holding it tightly. He straightened up a little and looked into my eyes, making me wonder what he might say next. After kissing my cheek, he whispered "But it's still not as beautiful as you", nuzzling into my neck affectionately. I was stunned - his words were truly touching, and I felt overcome with emotion.

"I... I... _Daniel..._" I whispered, my voice cracking slightly under the strain of not knowing what to say next. I felt like there were a few other words about to roll off the tip of my tongue, but I was speechless and couldn't find the voice to say them. He just smiled and pulled me into a hug, and I leaned in to kiss him. Just like every kiss we'd had so far, it was wonderful. Normally I found kissing a little awkward at first but with Daniel, any anxiety I might have had just disappeared. I could stay like this with him forever, and for a while I did just that. The silence was only broken when Daniel kissed my cheek, smiling as he sang:

_I don't quite know how to say how I feel; those three words are said too much, they're not enough..._

_If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what we're told, before we get too old, show me a garden that's bursting into life..._

I felt my heart beating rapidly now. He'd sang to me more of the song that we'd sung to each other this morning and if I hadn't already been a big fan of it, I certainly would be now. It was one of the sweetest songs he could have picked - as well as one of the sweetest things he could possibly do - and it sounded perfect coming from him.

We stayed there for a while longer, not getting home until approximately ten o'clock. As soon as we got inside, I walked upstairs and changed into my pajamas while Daniel was in his room using his laptop. I sat on the edge of my bed, plaiting my hair as I stared out the window. Eventually I tired of that and switched on my laptop, letting out a small joyous squeal when I got on Facebook and saw that Daniel had accepted my relationship request. That pretty much settled it for me - he obviously wasn't afraid of having the truth out there, so I didn't want to be either. After I permitted myself to indulge in a small fit of giggles, I got up and walked down the hallway, knocking timidly upon his bedroom door. "Hey, can I come in for a minute?" I called out. I heard the sound of a chair dragging against the wooden floor so I knew he'd been sitting down, and as soon as the door opened I threw my arms around him, my lips seeking his and claiming them instantly in a rather sudden kiss.

When I eventually found the power to pull away, Daniel bit down on his bottom lip and smiled. "What was that all about?" he asked, smirking a little. I chuckled, looking over his shoulder. "I just wanted to come and say goodnight... And I just saw how you accepted the request..." I explained, trailing off awkwardly. He smiled and embraced me at once, kissing my shoulder softly. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked, sounding genuinely confused. ¥

"I don't know... I wasn't like, worried or anything, I'd just wondered if you were okay with making it public..." I rambled awkwardly. Once Daniel realised I was being dead serious, he hugged me even tighter.

"Babe, of course I am... I want people to know I'm with you..." he said, pausing before he asked "Is this about Mike?". Of course it was, so I nodded. I personally didn't care what Mike thought; my main concern now was for Daniel's safety. I told him this and he sighed. "Belle, I know he hates me and that he'll be mad when he finds out about us, but I don't care what he thinks... Besides, I wouldn't care what he does to me, as long as my girlfriend is safe and happy" he said. I thought of asking whether he'd tell me if Mike ever did anything to him, but decided against it - even if he didn't, I'd find out anyway.

"I don't care what he thinks either" I declared happily, feeling more than appeased by now. He seemed thrilled by this and picked me up, spinning me around for a moment before gently letting me down. He looked up at the roof for a few seconds, like he was trying to remember something. "Ahhhh..." he murmured, evidently figuring out whatever he needed to know. "If you wake up and my door's still closed, just knock to wake me up - I have my interview tomorrow but I got permission to do it over the phone... I thought after that we could drive to Salt Lake City and catch a plane from there... Accommodation's already sorted out, and I'll finalise tickets in the morning" he suggested. It sounded like fun to me so I eagerly accepted the plans, kissed him goodnight and walked back to "my" room. My sleep ended up being much more restless tonight than it had been last night - which was disconcerting - but I tried my hardest to ignore it, concentrating on keeping my eyes closed until I finally fell asleep.

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**+ BELLE'S POV + 17th September 2010 (Friday) + **

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_Uuuuugghhh, what time is it?_ I thought to myself as soon as I could bear sitting up. The morning sun was making itself very obvious, which had me a little worried that I might have slept too late. I quickly crept down the hallway, seeing that Daniel's door was closed; I knocked loudly a few times before continuing downstairs. Upon entering the kitchen, I searched through the cupboard and made myself two slices of toast. Loud footsteps echoed through the house and I giggled when Daniel came stampeding into the kitchen, his hair an adorable mess. I sat down to eat my toast, watching him walk outside when his phone rang.

_I wonder what the interviewer's asking him?_ I asked myself silently, even though I didn't know. I could easily guess some things though - some of the questions had to be about me, my brother or a combination of both. Daniel was still outside even when I'd finished my toast so I went back to my room, changing into a blue plaid shirt, skinny jeans and matching shoes. After applying my eyeliner, mascara and lip-gloss and Brushing my hair, I zipped up my suitcase and brought it downstairs to leave next to the front door. A short while later, Daniel came back inside and asked, "What time is it?" to which I told him it was 9:05am. He seemed pleased with this, shouting something about a cab as he ran upstairs to get changed. I was confused until I realised we must be getting picked up from his house and driven to the airport to pick up a rental car - taking his car to Salt Lake City would just be silly.

The cab arrived ten minutes later, much to Daniel's relief. It didn't take us long to get to the airport - we had picked up the rental car by 9:30. Right now I was in awe of Daniel's preparedness - I'd certainly never had to make so many plans for just one day before, and I was amazed at how organized he was.

By 9:40am we were out on the road again. We decided we'd get lunch somewhere in three hours, and then switch seats so I could drive for the second half of our trip. The next three hours were spent singing along to the radio, pulling funny faces at other drivers and in my case, ignoring most of my phone calls. Mike had called twice and I'd done nothing about it, but I did speak to Santino and Eve. Of course, I couldn't resist taking this opportunity to mess with Eve and tell her I had some big news to share once I saw her on Sunday - she would be dying to know from the second I told her. I hung up on her after purposefully letting her beg for a while, stuffing my phone back into my bag. Daniel was about to ask what was so funny when he spotted a diner, and asked if I wanted to stop there for lunch.

I agreed, feeling my tummy rumbling as Daniel turned around and drove into their parking lot at 12:30pm, a little earlier than expected. We both opted for sandwiches once we got inside, as we were due to board our flight at 5pm and we didn't want to hang around too long. Much to our delight, the diner was almost completely quiet and we finished our lunch as soon as we could, getting back in the car by 12:55. There was at least three hours and ten minutes left of driving, and I prayed to God the roads were clear enough that we might get to Salt Lake City early. I would feel terrible if we missed our flight, because in instances like these it would be impossible to refund our tickets - and I didn't want to waste Daniel's money, not when he'd gone to so much trouble for me already.

As I turned onto an almost deserted road, I sucked in a few deep breaths, trying not to hyperventilate. Daniel placed a hand on my upper arm and asked "Belle, is something wrong? You look stressed, are you sure you're okay to drive?"

_Crap_, I thought. _He noticed!_ Shaking my head and smiling sweetly, I replied "I was just worried about not making it to Salt Lake City in time... What if we take too long out here and miss check-in? We probably won't get there until four o'clock, and we've got to drop off the rental car, and...", only stopping once I found myself struggling for air.

"Belle, we'll be fine, I promise... Even if something went wrong, I'd call Vince or Stephanie for help, I would work something out..." he told me, speaking in a gentle and reassuring tone. Turning my head just briefly to look at him, I forced myself to inhale deeply. "I was just w-worried, I don't want your plans to be wasted, not when you've made so much effort..." I rambled. He squeezed my arm gently for a moment, sighing quietly.

"Belle, just... just take a deep breath, please... We're going to make it to Salt Lake City in time, and we'll get to Chicago tonight exactly as planned, I know it" Daniel said in a calm, soothing voice. I wasn't entirely convinced yet but I had to smile; I was majorly freaking out now and he was so calm and levelheaded, which was just what I needed right now. As I kept driving, I tried my best to focus on his words, and absolutely nothing else, hoping everything really would be okay.

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**[[A/N: Sorry if this ending seemed awkward, this chapter was originally almost 6000 words long and that is just ridiculous. I cut it in half so I could end the next one how I'd originally planned, because I love the idea I came up with and I think you'll all like it :D**

**Just wondering, can anyone guess what Belle was going to say to Daniel on their date? I won't say anything more about that yet, for a while yet anyway... But if anyone thinks they know, tell me xD**

**Next chapter should hopefully be out within the next week. Don't forget to review and let me know what you thought! Toodles xoxo]]**


	13. You, Me And Chicago

**[[A/N: Thankyou to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. For those of you who guessed at the question I asked, you were 100% correct, but that won't be resurfacing for a while yet... Sorry! :P I really hope you enjoy this chapter my lovelies! xx]]**

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**+ BELLE'S POV [Cont.] + 17th September 2010 (Friday) +**

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Peeling back the curtain briefly to stare out at the sky, I couldn't help but laugh and face-palm myself. Despite my earlier anxiety, we'd made it to Salt Lake City in plenty of time. Now we were safely on the plane to Chicago and I felt nothing but excitement at the thought of what was to come. I quietly munched on some biscuits that a stewardess had given me, smiling at my boyfriend who was busy reading a newspaper. I sneaked a peek at his watch and grinned - it was six o'clock, so we'd been in the air for half an hour now - then accidentally bumped elbows with him as I sat up properly.

Daniel promptly put down his newspaper and turned to me. "I was just going to ask you something... How did your first kiss happen?" he said, pausing for a moment before continuing to speak. "I just realised I didn't say how mine happened... It was our second date and I'd just walked her home from the restaurant we'd eaten at, we were standing on her front step and I went to kiss her cheek but she turned her head and it kinda just... happened".

I giggled without even thinking - it sounded like such a cute story, and I could imagine it right inside my mind (with myself in place of that horrible ex-girlfriend of his). "My first kiss went a little like this..." I started, laughing softly before adding "Like I said, I was fifteen at the time, I'd just gone to a movie with him and then we went to this fifties-style burger place... We walked outside and I hugged him before Dad's car pulled up, then he just leaned in and kissed me before I got to open the door..."

Daniel and I both smiled, reaching out for each other's hands instinctively. I explained that it had been awkward because I certainly wouldn't have made the first move - which was why I was still surprised by my actions from the other night. The very thought of those kisses sent shivers through my entire body. I closed my eyes for a while, perfectly content with my daydreams.

Later on, I spent a few minutes begging Daniel to tell me where we were staying, but he wouldn't have a bar of it. I even tried it again after the plane landed at eight o'clock but he still wouldn't listen, though I whined playfully until we stepped out into a tunnel to the airport. _Why won't he tell me?_ I wondered to myself when he led me to an inspection area after we found our suitcases. We got through fairly quickly as it hadn't been a particularly populated flight, and we were on our way out by 8.45pm, which I thought was quite the success. As soon as we ventured outdoors, Daniel hailed a passing cab and muttered something to the driver in a voice inaudible to my ears. Grumbling quietly, I climbed into rhe car behind him, our suitcases safely stowed away in the trunk. I stared out the window relentlessly and as soon as the driver announced, "We're here", I looked out the window, realizing at once why Daniel might have wanted to keep it a secret.

The hotel he'd chosen was absolutely beautiful, especially as it was all lit up, and there was a bridge leading to the entrance and over the road, with trees decorating the area. It was unbelievably picturesque - an artist's dream - and I already knew I'd want to return someday. The cab driver quietly dropped us off at the entrance and I let out a soft little gasp after he disappeared. "Where are we?" I asked Daniel, clutching my suitcase and carry bag excitedly. "We're at the Renaissance Blackstone Chicago Hotel," he announced, smiling at our breathtaking surroundings. Then he led me inside, grinning happily as he checked in and showed me upstairs. Our room was amazing in every conceivable way - two plush sofas, a stunning view of the streets, high speed Internet... And that didn't even cover it.

"Daniel, this room is amazing, I... I love it," I said slowly, walking over to the window and looking out. He occupied himself by surveying the room, and I turned around once I heard him speak. "This is not right..." he muttered. I was confused; this room was lovely, what could possibly be wrong? I asked him this and he sighed, pointing to an open door in a corner of the room that I'd ignored so far. The doorway revealed one spacious double bed, the only bed in the whole entire room...

"This is a complete mistake... Once I knew you were coming with me, I asked to have a room with two singles, I don't know how this happened..." Daniel replied somewhat flatly, looking embarrassed that he was even complaining. Letting out a soft sigh, I went to hug him gently and smiled. "I'm sure they don't mean anything by it" I reasoned, letting go of him and walking to the centre of the room. "Besides, we have these sofas, I'll just sleep on one of those, they look pretty comfortable".

After sitting on the closest sofa and kicking back to demonstrate my point, I was joined by Daniel who sat across from me, shaking his head. "I don't want to let you sleep on the sofa, you can have the bed and I'll sleep here" he said quietly, letting out a soft yawn as he headed to the linen cupboard and pulled out some spare pillows and blankets. I took them from him, leaving them stacked on top of the coffee table between the sofas, then walked over to the minibar and inspected the contents. There was a bottle of Block Nine red wine in there and I decided to bring it out after overhearing Daniel ordering something from room service. I walked back over to the couch, this time sitting next to Daniel and opening the bottle, pouring some of the wine into each glass.

"I ordered us both the spaghetti, is that alright?" Daniel asked, picking up his glass and taking a sip. I assured him it was fine and as we waited for our food to arrive, we spent the time discussing and making plans for tomorrow - the last day before Night of Champions. He seemed a bit concerned about possibly encountering Mike before the match due to the tension between them, and I just shook my head. "Everything's going to be fine babe, whatever he'll say won't matter. Know why?" I asked, smiling serenely. "Why?" he murmured.

"Because he doesn't matter now, and I can tell you what does... It's just you, me and Chicago. That's all that matters, don't worry about anything else because I'm not going to".

* * *

By 10:30pm we'd eaten our dinner and gotten through the bottle of wine. Daniel was yawning despite every effort he made not to, and I couldn't help but laugh. He was just so cute when he was tired, and as I didn't usually drink much, the red wine was already going to my head. Looking over at Daniel resting on the couch, I nudged his shoulder. "The couch is miiiiiine, Mister Daniel Bryan, I would liiiike you to get up pleeease" I whined, slurring a few of my words and sitting down haphazardly.

"Belle, I know the sofa is super comfy and all, but I still think you should sleep in the bed... Waking up on one of these with a headache is no fun, and I'm not liking your chances there" he replied calmly. _How is the Block Nine not going to his head?_ I wondered, shrugging lightly. I kicked up both feet on the coffee table, folding my arms across my chest and giving him a stubborn glare. "My couch!" I hissed, giggling again; despite the fact that I was trying to be serious, I just couldn't help it. _Damn wine!_

Daniel huffed quietly, and I just stuck out my tongue, pretty sure he was just messing around. Stretching out my arms to their full length and tilting my head back, I let out a rather impressive, ear-splitting yawn as I nudged my glass accidentally. He laughed and said, "Come on, Belle... You're obviously tired, go to sleep". I smiled, now knowing he hadn't actually been annoyed - he was just looking out for me. I smiled lazily and pushed myself up off the couch, picking up my bag and walking into the bathroom to get changed. Settling on a blue and white striped pair of pajamas, I quickly pulled them on, putting my day clothes in the laundry sink on my way out. I honestly would have been happy to wear sweats and a baggy shirt but I'd decided not to, imagining him running over the bridge once he saw what I really found most comfortable. _Probably just paranoiaaaaa!_ a voice inside my head sang, to which I just shrugged.

After walking over to the bed and climbing in under the covers, I sighed happily and stared up at the roof. "Hey Daniel, do I get a goodnight kiss?" I shouted - and that remark was definitely influenced by the wine; it just wasn't something I'd normally call out. I could hear him laughing from where he sat, and within ten seconds he was on his fest and making his way over to my bedside. Bending down so he was presumably crouching - or maybe kneeling; I couldn't actually see too much from the midst of my blanket cocoon - he reached for my hand and leaned in, kissing me deeply and lovingly. "Goodnight, beautiful" he whispered, smiling and making his way back to the sofa. I couldn't see him as well now as I figured he'd be laying down now, so I raised my hand sleepily and waved as one last goodnight gesture before eventually succumbing to a rather deep sleep.

My dreams that night were filled with possible ideas of what could happen and Night Of Champions. I saw myself wearing the pink and black dress I'd worn earlier this week as I'd already decided on wearing it, and my hair appeared wavy and bouncy. Sometimes I saw myself arm-in-arm with Daniel, walking down the hallways and talking to our friends. In other moments, I saw myself with Eve, Natalya, Gail and the other girls, giggling excitedly as we swapped stories from the last few days, Eve looking particularly excited to hear what I had to say. Other parts of my dream showed Mike verbally overpowering me and almost making me cry, while Alex just stood in the corner, expressionless save for the tiniest smile possible. Santino and Oleg kept popping up too, which was fun - they were both lovely in their own individual ways, and I liked gradually getting to know the tall, quiet Russian. I would have been deathly scared but whenever I saw something going wrong in my dreams, Daniel or one of my friends were always there to back me up and give me support... If not for that, I'd have undoubtedly woken up screaming.

* * *

**+ BELLE's POV + 18th September 2010 (Saturday) +**

* * *

Upon waking the next morning, I was still very confused. I lay there for a while, rolling around and mumbling different things like "Go away Mike!", "I'm being serious Eve!", "You're such a loser!" or "Shut up and leave Daniel alone, he's my boyfriend!". It must have been pretty funny because when I was properly awake I could hear some deep laughter echoing from the sofas, then Daniel sat up and smiled.

"DANIEL! You're alright!" I shouted excitedly, somehow bolting straight up out of my bed and running to his makeshift one, swerving and diving diagonally over the end of the couch as I crash-tackled him to the floor below. Giving him a big hug and kissing his cheek, I then rolled onto the floor lazily and smiled. "What's so funny?" I asked upon noticing that he was grinning like a Cheshire cat. He scratched his head, sat up with his back against the couch cushions and pulled me into his lap, his arms encircling my waist.

"I heard all the stuff you were mumbling in your sleep just now, I thought it was kinda funny, and it made me wonder what you were dreaming about" he replied. I had to think for a moment, smiling once snatches of my dream started to come together in my mind. "I was dreaming about different things that could happen at Night of Champions... Sometimes we were walking and talking to people, or I was chatting with the girls and Eve was all excited and making jokes... But there were other parts where Mike was yelling at me and Alex did nothing to stop it, I think he might've been threatening to beat you... It wasn't too scary though because whenever something bad happen, you or one of my friends were there to back me up," I explained, moving out of his lap and sitting cross-legged in front of him.

Daniel sat there for a moment in silence, clad in nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts. I already knew I wasn't ready to sleep with him just yet, but I knew that if I were, I'd be all over him right now; it _was_ quite a sight. He entranced me further with a smile, and I was lucky he chose to speak again; otherwise I might have kept staring. "Are you worried?" he asked simply. I shook my head slowly, reaching for one of his hands. "You don't need to be... I'll be there with you as much as I can. And if he gets in your face without me around, I think you'd be able to stand up to him just fine" he added, shaking his head and laughing again. After I nodded in agreement, I stood up and walked back into my room to get changed and go on Facebook. Oleg had posted on my wall asking how I was, so I quickly replied by saying that I was fine and that I was in Chicago now, before returning the question. After closing my laptop, I went into the kitchen and ate breakfast with Daniel, before we decided on our plans for the day.

A few hours later Daniel and I were strolling through the streets of Chicago, looking for somewhere to eat lunch. Deciding on a quiet little sandwich shop, we walked in and sat down quietly until a waitress came to take our orders. When she went away, I asked Daniel what he wanted to do today. He laughed and shrugged, saying, "I was just about to ask you the same thing!" As I tried to think of some things I might want to do today, an idea hit me once I thought about my outfit for tomorrow night. "This might sound a bit random but after we're finished here, I want to go to the mall or wherever, I need to find a place that sells fabric and stuff like that..." I suggested, smiling mysteriously. Daniel said it shouldn't be too far away, and after we ate our lunch we went looking. Ten minutes later, we ended up in a small store in a side street around the corner from the main mall, where I picked out some pink and black fabrics and purchased those, planning to make some woven bracelets.

On our way out of the somewhat nondescript store, I literally bumped into a young girl who was looking through the shop window. Feeling incredibly guilty, I proceeded to apologize profusely before she would have had the chance to give me a dirty look. Once she finally straightened herself out and looked our way, her eyes widened and she smiled. "Wow, um... Hi Belle, Daniel, my name's Laura... I'm a big fan of you both, it's _so_ cool to meet you!" she gushed. I was thrilled; I absolutely loved to meet fans, and she was one of the first few I'd met after moving up to the main roster. The three of us got talking for a while and it was discovered that she lived in the area and wrote for her school's newspaper, doing feature stories.

"If you don't want to do it, I totally understand, but could I please interview you two for the paper? A lot of kids at my school watch wrestling, I think they'd really enjoy it," she said all of a sudden. Daniel looked rather intrigued, so in a matter of seconds we both agreed to do it, thinking it would be fun. "I don't have any questions ready though, since this was just a spur of the moment idea..." Laura said quietly. I looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded.

"I need to go for a few minutes to buy something else, how about I meet you two in that cafe?" I suggested, pointing to a quiet little cafe a short distance away, which appeared to have booth seats - that way the three of us could have a little more privacy. Once we'd all agreed on it, Daniel kissed my cheek in a goodbye gesture and I went inside the mall, walking around and stopping every time I saw a map, until I found the liquor store and purchased two bottles of Block Nine. Once they were safely wrapped up I marched right out of the mall and to the cafe, I thanked Daniel for the hot chocolate he'd bought me, and then sat down as Laura set up her tape recorder and the interview began.

* * *

One lengthy interview, a walk around town and five hours later, Daniel and I were sitting in the hotel lobby, just watching people walking in an out. A few people had recognized us and stopped for photos and autographs, which we were only too happy to do. One little boy who looked to be four even came running up to me and hugged my leg, saying, "Mommy, look! It's the wrestling princess!" I gave his mother a questioning look and she explained by saying "He saw RAW the other week when Chad Ochocinco was guest hosting, noticed your tiara and thought you were a princess". Holding my arms out for a hug, I looked at Daniel briefly for a moment then hoisted the child into my lap as I suggested the lady take a photo with her camera phone. The boy pointed at Daniel as he said "Can you be in photo too, pwease?", and Daniel moved right in and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, the child resting on our knees. After the woman was satisfied with the photo, she thanked us profusely and walked away with her son, who was waving goodbye.

"Cute kid, huh?" Daniel asked, after we'd sat in the lobby for a while longer. "Yeah... And such nice manners too" I added, sighing contentedly as he nodded in agreement. Most kids at that age usually hadn't developed manners yet - something I'd mainly noticed while going shopping - so it was always a pleasant surprise when a young child was polite to an advanced degree; I always hoped that when I had children they'd be like that.

"Wanna go back upstairs now?" Daniel asked, to which I replied that I would. I figured that maybe we'd watch a movie, maybe have something to eat with the wine I'd bought - though, as I reflected, there wasn't actually any substantial food in the kitchen (just snacks), so we'd be ordering room service again. Once we got back to our room we kicked up our feet on the sofas and read the menu aloud, Daniel frowning a little as he struggled to make up his menu - on our second glance, we realised the menu wasn't too much more vegan friendly apart from the spaghetti we'd ordered last night, so he was having a lot of trouble. Once he looked to have found something, I told him to call room service though I hadn't made up my mind completely yet.

"Hello, this is Mr Bryan in room 905, I would like to order a Greek Salad with extra salt, but could you please replace the feta cheese with soy cheese?" he said. I threw down my menu in abnormal frustration as I gave up on trying to choose and shouted out that I'd have the same, figuring that it would probably taste alright and that even if I hated it, Daniel would probably finish it for me. Once he ended the phone call, he placed his phone on the coffee table and rested his hands behind his head for a few minutes, before sitting up straight and beckoning me over to him. Slowly rising from my seat, I meandered my way around the coffee table and plopped down next to him, resting my head on his chest.

"That kid from before did have a point..." he said out of nowhere. I looked up at him for clarification, not understanding one little bit what he was talking about. Sensing my confusion, he cleared his throat before saying "He called you the wrestling princess... And he's right, you are a princess. You're the prettiest, nicest girl in the locker room, you've got King singing your praises, and Cole hates me but even he thinks you're brilliant... It makes me wonder sometimes why you're with me, when all the single guys on the roster must want you" he said. "I'm just glad you're with me... you're **_my_** princess".

"Then I guess that makes you my prince and knight in shining armor" I said, smiling and turning around so I was on my knees as I wrapped my arms around him in a comforting hug. I proceeded to tell him he was being silly - I didn't want any of the other guys in a romantic sense at all. He seemed perfectly placated with my answer, and we just sat there quietly together until the doorbell rang. I stood up, rolling over the back of the couch and running over with Daniel hot on my heels. "Mr and Mrs Bryan, your dinner..." the waiter said once we'd opened the door, carrying two covered plates over to the dining table.

"I, um... you... she..." Daniel sputtered, a faint tinge of pink in his cheeks as he spoke. I placed a supportive hand on his shoulder and looked at the waiter kindly. "We're not married, Sir... We're just boyfriend and girlfriend" I explained, taking Daniel's hand in mine and smiling. The waiter apologized sincerely, muttering and shaking his head as he stalked out of the room. Daniel looked at me and started to apologize but I shook my head, indicating it wasn't necessary - after all, we had just been placed in a very awkward situation; though it was nice that someone else thought we looked so right together that we might as well be married.

After we'd eaten our dinner - which, to my surprise, I'd enjoyed just as much with the addition of the soy cheese - I went and looked through the selection of DVDs belonging to the hotel room, waving a copy of Scary Movie 3 in the air. "Fine by me!" Daniel called out from the kitchen, as he wrenched open the fridge. "You want some of this?" he added a few seconds later, holding out one of the bottles of wine I'd purchased before our interview with Laura, laughing a little. I told him to bring them both over, and he was sitting next to me on the couch he'd slept on last night within minutes, holding both bottles and a corkscrew. I took the corkscrew and opened both bottles as the movie started, smiling brightly. It had taken me a while to make up my mind on what movie to watch, but I'd settled on this one because while it still had its dirty moments, it was still funny enough to override any awkwardness they might cause.

"Thanks for the extra bottle, Belle... This stuff's really good, I've always preferred red wine" Daniel told me. I reached for his free hand after taking a lengthy sip from my own bottle, and then leaned in to kiss him. Watching the movie and screaming once one of the blonde girls was found dead, I clutched the neck of my bottle tightly so I wouldn't drop it. "Not gonna lie, some of this still freaks me out... All my friends made fun of me when we saw it in the cinemas because I dropped my popcorn, it went _everywhere..._" I admitted, staring straight at the TV and taking a deep breath.

"What are your friends like?" Daniel asked, drinking up a little more red wine. I smiled, still keeping one eye and ear trained on the screen as I started to talk. "There's Mia Martinez, she's your classic party girl... She has a twin brother called Jayson who's the level-headed one, he's engaged to one of my other friends Andrea Jameson, and they're at Harvard now, studying to be lawyers..." I told him, pausing in the middle of my explanation to smile, remembering Jayson and Andrea's engagement party from last year - I'd just started to feel better after going through a break-up, and it was a lot of fun. "Then there's Hollie Albright and her cousin Mark Albright-Cook, they're both music teachers... They're all the ones I'm closest with" I stated, soon going on to name a few other people. However, I stopped once the rap battle had started and George was onstage. Daniel nudged me, winking slightly as we both started rapping along in time to the movie.

"_**So maybe I'm wack 'cause my skin ain't black... But you can't talk smack, 'cause whitey just struck back!**_" we shouted, laughing hysterically once George had stopped rapping and we'd caught our breath. It was so hard not to laugh like idiots during the rest of the movie; every time I thought I could keep it together, I'd see Daniel waving his arms around in a bad imitation of ten different rappers rolled into one inside my mind again then bite down on my lip, trying not to laugh the walls down. Daniel seemed to feel much the same way, though he was almost completely quiet during the last twenty minutes. I'd nudge him occasionally to make sure he was awake and he'd nod lazily, a small smile on his face.

* * *

Once the movie finished, I eased myself down onto the floor and turned off the TV after putting the DVD back in its case and stacking it away. Standing up and stretching both arms out over my head, I yawned loudly and exhaled for a few seconds, checking the time on the wall clock - my phone was all the way over on the kitchen table and I really didn't feel like going and grabbing it. I'd heard it ringing a few times during the day and had ignored it, as I had a fair idea of who it had been every single time. I took a look at Daniel and groaned when I saw he was asleep. His bottle was three-quarters empty so I re-corked it once I'd managed to prise it out of his hands.

After I'd re-corked my bottle and stuffed them both back in the fridge, I sauntered over lazily, burping a few times as I licked my lips and relished the taste of my wine-stained lips. Daniel had a lopsided smile on his face and I laughed, instantly thinking of an idea that I knew he'd never expect from me. I ran into my bedroom and yanked down the covers, and then left the door wide open as I ran back into the living room and pulled away Daniel's blankets. Sliding my arms underneath his, I lifted him up and let his back rest against my chest as I lugged his 192-pound frame across the floor, really hoping I wasn't giving him carpet burn. As I took a deep sigh, I heaved his body up into the bed and tucked him in awkwardly, leaning in to kiss his lips that now tasted entirely like Block Nine.

Shaking out my arms, I groaned and walked back out to the couch where I'd wanted to sleep last night. Daniel was by no means fat or heavy - and if I was in a clearer state I'd probably have been able to carry him easily - but I'd had a little too much to drink so quickly and I was pretty tired myself. With that in mind, I flopped down onto the couch and wrapped the blankets around myself in a very haphazard fashion, just laying there as my brain started running at one hundred miles a minute. I remembered the way my dad used to tuck me in at night when I was little and it brought a smile to my face; he was a kind, loving man who loved my mother so deeply - I saw them as the ideal role models for how married life should be.

Content to remain lost in my thoughts for quite some while, I didn't bother rolling over or looking up for a while... But when I did, I noticed that I'd left the bedroom door wide open and as I pulled myself up so I was sitting, I could see Daniel sleeping. His head was tilted to the side, his mouth closed as his lips formed a serene, dreamy smile. _Holy shit, he's gorgeous..._ I thought to myself, silently thanking God for granting me such a beautiful sight. I sat there for a while longer, wondering what he was thinking about until an idea came to mind, and I shot up out of "bed" immediately, ignoring my blankets when they fell to the floor. I turned the lights out, then strolled into Daniel's room and crawled right into bed next to him. It was a completely random idea - maybe it was just the red wine going to my head - but it felt so right.

I wasn't sure if he really knew I was there but maybe he was thinking about me, because I felt his arms reaching out for me, which I accepted all too readily. After spending a few anxious minutes hoping that Daniel wouldn't get mad at me in the morning for joining him, I kissed his cheek and rested my head on his shoulder, falling asleep and looking forward to tomorrow with a smile on my face as wide as his.

* * *

**[[A/N: There you have it guys... The next chapter is Night of Champions and will almost certainly be written in Daniel's POV, as I've had a few of his thoughts planned in my mind for ages :P I'm really excited for it and I hope you are too.**

**Just a random fact, the name "Hollie" is taken from a good friend of my brother's who's going through a rough time at the moment. Keep your chin up babes, those of us who have hearts are keeping you in our thoughts and just want you to smile (L)**

**Please go check out my new story "Bourne 2 Fly" if you haven't already, I'm looking forward to writing more of it soon. I hope you had fun reading this latest chapter, and don't forget to review and let me know what you thought! Toodles xoxo]]**


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